Guest Post + Giveaway: Jaye Frances and The Kure

Today I'm turning the blog over to author Jaye Frances so she can tell us a little bit about her novel The Kure and give you all an inside look with a brief excerpt. Jaye has also offered up a Kindle ebook copy of The Kure, so be sure and check the bottom of the post for all the details. Welcome to Supernatural Snark Jaye!

Thank you, Jenny, for hosting me today on Supernatural Snark with my paranormal-occult romance novel, The Kure.

One of my biggest challenges in writing The Kure was creating an authentic male character—John Tyler—who would remain true to his personality, disposition, and conscience, regardless of the situation or circumstances. And that had to be especially true during that moment of unexpected surprise when he first laid eyes on the woman who would change his life forever.

With the main characters, John Tyler and Sarah Sheridan, destined to become eternal lovers, I wanted readers to sense the electricity in the air as they met for the first time, their behavior exuding the kind of magnetism suggestive of the classic “love at first sight.” And although John was caught off-guard, mostly because his mission to meet Sarah was less than honorable, it was important to develop their love interest as a happy accident, providing the characters—and the reader—with all the nuances of the unpredictable.

In this excerpt from The Kure, John gets his first glimpse of Sarah, and wonders why their paths haven’t crossed until now. As he fumbles with the requisite courtesies and tries to maintain his composure, Sarah teases him, enchanting him with her playful charm and unpretentious nature.
 

EXCERPT: 

Her eyes were the first of her features he would later recall with absolute clarity—wide, bright and clear, and so blue they reminded him of an azure field of forget-me-nots. Her lips were slightly parted, easily ripening into a full smile. As John nodded in acknowledgement, Sarah responded with a tilt of her head, sending a shimmering curtain of sun yellow hair rippling across her shoulders.

She was more than pretty, and with the soft, seductive curves of a woman, she radiated the raw promise of opportunity, the kind that could easily inspire a man to offer everything he owned in exchange for a place in her future.

John tried to imagine how circumstances, or perhaps fate, had kept her hidden for so long. They lived only a couple of miles apart, using the same roads, shopping at the same stores, even attending the same church—at least the five or six times a year John occupied the back pew for services. Yet their paths had remained separate. Until today.

He tried to remember when he’d seen her last. It might have been five, maybe six years ago, when she would have passed him on the street as a quiet and unremarkable child, with no indication of the flawless beauty she would become.

John’s father had once told him that a man’s first glimpse of a woman determines the destiny of both. For an instant, he wondered.

Without hesitating, Sarah stepped into the room, her light blue cotton skirt flowing easily over her legs, the material caressing her thighs as she moved. Her fitted white blouse clung glove-tight around her small waist, the loosely laced bodice revealing the rounded shape of her full breasts.

John expected her to walk toward her father, and perhaps sit in the vacant chair next to him. Instead, she stopped in front of the loveseat, standing so close that if John straightened his fingers, he could easily touch the fabric covering her legs. The possibility made his lower lip begin to quiver, and he pulled it between his teeth and bit hard.

Forced to concede to Sarah’s presence, Sheridan paused. Unwilling to lose the opportunity to control his daughter’s introduction, he quickly spoke again, his manner brusque and determined. “Sarah, this young man, John Tyler, is here to speak with you. About some business with the pastor.”

John realized he was still sitting. Nerves shot him forward. Raw pain pulled him back. Determined to hide the tormenting ache, he leaned on the arm of the loveseat, steadying himself. Readjusting his handhold, he pushed himself off the seat and slowly made it to his feet.

Sarah’s eyes seemed to grow larger as she spoke. “Oh? I hope I’m not in trouble for missing services last Sunday.” Her smile widened in a playful challenge.

John tried to return her lighthearted greeting, but his efforts appeared forced and twisted, far from the sincere interest he wanted to convey. “No . . . no, I’m sure that’s not the case,” he stammered.

“Well, your message must be very important, especially if Pastor Fielding asked you to ride all the way out here.” Her voice was as welcome as a warm spring day, with enough invitation to disarm a wild stallion.

John started to shrug, then stopped himself. “I’m not sure. It’s hard to tell with the pastor.”

Sarah nodded as if she knew exactly what he was talking about, and then turning slightly, she gave John a tiny wink, letting him interpret it for himself.

For a moment, he forgot the pain.

Thanks so much for stopping by Jaye! More information on Jaye and her books can be found here:

Website
Blog
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Amazon Buy Link
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GIVEAWAY

Jaye is generously offering up a Kindle ebook of The Kure to one lucky winner! Before entering, please note The Kure is an adult book, not YA, and is recommended for older readers. You can check out some of Jaye's notes on the dark historical practices depicted in the book here if you'd like to get a better feel as to whether or not this book is for you. To enter, please leave a comment with a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. Since this is an ebook, the giveaway is international provided you have a Kindle. Giveaway will run through midnight on Friday, October 26th after which time a winner will be chosen and emailed. Good luck everyone!

THE KURE

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.