The lovely Jaye Frances stops by the Nest to give you lovelies a chance to win a Kindle version of The Kure and tell you about her "Resolve To Read" promotion, which I think is an excellent idea! Also please stop by Jaye Frances' blog, as I've spent quite some time over there this past week, enjoying her posts and going deeper into the world of The Kure.
Thank you, Michelle, for hosting me on Reading Lark today. I really appreciate the opportunity to talk about The Kure, and to let your readers know about my “Resolve To Read” promotion going on right now through Amazon.
I’d like to begin with a brief synopsis: John Tyler, a young man in his early twenties, awakens to find a ghastly affliction taking over his body. When the village doctor offers the conventional, and potentially disfiguring, treatment as the only cure, John tenaciously convinces the doctor to reveal an alternative remedy—a forbidden ritual contained within an ancient manuscript called the Kure.
Although initially rejecting the vile and sinister rite, John realizes, too late, that the ritual is more than a faded promise scrawled on a page of crumbling paper. And as cure quickly becomes curse, the demonic text unleashes a dark power that drives him to consider the unthinkable—a depraved and wicked act requiring the corruption of an innocent soul.
Ultimately, John must choose between his desperate need to arrest the plague that is destroying his body, and the virtue of the woman he loves, knowing the wrong decision could cost him his life.
* * * * *
In The Kure, the main characters, John Tyler and Sarah Sheridan, are brought together under extraordinary circumstances. John is seeking a willing accomplice to help him perform a demonic ritual—a wicked spell contained in the ancient manuscript, the Kure—with the hope that the sinister ceremony will rid his body of a devastating disease. Sarah thinks he is calling on her as a potential suitor. They’re not exactly working on the same page. . .
But when John realizes he has fallen for Sarah, he tries to keep the evil rite a secret. Unfortunately for John, he’s stirred up a dark and menacing power, and it’s not about to let him go.
In the following excerpt, John has been cast into a dark and boundless void—his punishment for trying to protect Sarah from theKure’s black-hearted influence. Unable to determine where he is, or what has happened to him, he struggles with the uncertainty of his fate . . .
Excerpt:
Ever since his arrival into this nameless void, John had continued to harbor the most basic instinct of any species—survival. He believed a route of escape remained open and accessible, and with sufficient time and effort, he would eventually find it. Now he realized his involuntary passage had not only taken his freedom, but had also stripped away every nuance of hope.
He prayed for forgiveness, begging God to release him from this purgatorial agony. And if it was to be his fate, to allow his soul to complete the journey to its eternal resting place. But his penitence was no match for the angry pyrogenic shafts crisscrossing the chasm, and his prayers were abruptly dashed across a crackling mesh of scathing fire. In this realm of desolation and despair, John began to suspect that even God was beyond his reach.
He cried out, “What do you want from me?”
At once, the interminable gulf fell silent, the crashing bombardment retreating as if recalled in a tenuous truce. Although the interruption suggested it was in answer to John’s question, it was only a coincidence. For just as a fighter pauses to focus and build his energy for a particularly brutal punch, the remission of fire and heat was only a prelude for what was to follow. As he stared into the hushed and menacing blackness, John was filled with a wary anticipation of something he instinctively knew he was helpless to prevent.
It came swiftly and from above, the blazing ambush delivering enough power to penetrate his eyelids and stamp his vision with a blinding rainbow of color. If he could have moved his arms, he would have covered his ears, insulating them from the crack of close thunder that was sure to follow. Yet after several seconds there was only a far-off rumble.
He opened his eyes to see the certain progeny of the brilliant flash—a single, silent bullet of light originating from the deepest part of the void. Cleaving the darkness with an edge sharper than any knife, it was barely more than a glowing pinhole in the black gloom, yet John had no doubt of its direction. He waited for the impact, hoping the end would be quick and painless. He was as surprised as he was relieved when the scorching filament passed close enough to lick him with its heat, yet left him unharmed.
A hundred feet away, the radiant missile found its target as if launched with undeniable precision. At first, the large un-sculpted mass of dense fog concealed the explosive contact, but as the detonation expanded, the billowing surface erupted with a ragged web of blue fire. Crackling with the intensity of a newborn star, the burning cloud began to shift and fold, pulling the flames deep into its core. In seconds, it was a convulsing inferno, the very center throbbing blood red, its pulse strong and constant.
The acrid smell of sulfur confirmed the object’s proximity, and despite the danger, its dominating presence was a compelling siren. His senses battered, his reason failing, John squinted into the maelstrom.
As heady as the strongest port wine, as intoxicating as the purest of opiates, the cloud-fire was a hypnotic temptress, and he could have easily fallen prey to its primal seduction, surrendering without resistance or struggle. But as he watched the blue-white corona skitter and dance around the core’s fiery mantel, the raw instinct of survival replaced his depleted stamina, and he saw only the morbid design of death.
For a limited time, read “The Kure” for only $.99 (kindle version)
One of my resolutions for 2012 was to read more new authors – especially those whose books normally fall outside my favorite genres. As I began to search reviewer’s blogs for some ideas, I realized how many more people were reading books of all kinds, primarily due to increased availability and choice of low-cost ebooks for the kindle and nook. I often saw comments from readers who had decided to read a particular author’s work because it was ninety-nine cents, or in some cases, free. Realizing a lower price would motivate more people to read The Kure, I decided to temporarily lower the price. I’m calling it “Resolve To Read”, and it’s going on right now. The kindle version of The Kure can be purchased for ninety-nine cents on Amazon. So if you were planning on buying a kindle version anyway, why not take advantage of the “Resolve To Read” promotion and save two bucks?
Author Bio:
Jaye Frances is the author of the new paranormal/occult romance The Kure, the first book in The Kure series. She is also a featured columnist for the NUSA SUN magazine. Jaye was born in the Midwest and grew up surrounded by traditional values and conservative attitudes (which she quickly discarded). She readily admits that her life’s destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all things irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking, traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of pictures—many of which find their way to her website. Jaye lives on the central gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes.
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