Warm up for Halloween with. . .

From Behind the Mask

Gracelyn came in the door. She danced across the wide foyer in her ballerina costume and dropped her purse on the table. It was well past midnight, but she felt vibrant and wonderful. Humming to herself, she wandered toward the sitting room, only to sense being watched. Stopping, she turned to the long staircase. Near the top stood her sister, Faith, her face scrunched up and eyes accusing. Gracelyn smiled. “I just had the dreamiest time . . .”

“With Grady! You were with Grady! How could you?”

Puzzled, Gracelyn leaned against the railing and looked up the stairs toward her. “Yes. How could I what?” She watched her sister stomp down several stairs and then saw the tears on her cheeks. “Faith, what is it?”

“You know how much I’ve wanted to be with him. I spend days at a time trying to find ways . . .”

She raised her eyebrows and held a hand to her throat. “I had no idea. I swear.”

“You liar!” She smacked a hand on the railing. “I am so tired of perfect little you! Every man falls over his feet to impress you while I have to work to get one to speak to me!”

Gracelyn put her hands on her hips, seriously not happy that her sister dramatics were once again at the forefront and ploughing all over her happy thoughts. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating. Just last week I sat and watched you talk to . . .”

“Tom? Of course he talked to me. He’s more hideous than I am . . .”

“You are not hideous, Faith. You’re sweet and . . .”

“Invisible whenever you’re around!”

She watched her sister stomp down a few more stairs and lean forward, her face hovering over hers. “Faith . . .”

“I’m putting a stop to it now. No more beautiful and precious Gracie.”

Frowning, Gracelyn backed up a few feet and scowled at her. “You’ll behave! We do not use magic on whims or out of spite.” She pointed to the kitchen. “Now drag your butt in there, we’ll have some tea and discuss . . .” She paused and looked at her sister mouth moving, her eyes were suddenly looking untamed. “Faith? What are you doing?”

Faith threw her head back and laughed. “From now on, the only time you’ll see beautiful Gracie is on Samhain from midnight start to midnight finish. The rest of the year, you’ll be a blur!” She trotted down the rest of the stairs and stopped a foot from her. “And from now on, no one is going to be at your beck and call. No one will remember you.” She laughed in an eerie way. “To break it, you’ll need to find the one that can truly see you and kiss him on sacred Hallows Eve, just before midnight.” Laughing loudly and venomously, she waltzed to the door and left, slamming it behind her.

Gracelyn stood there, for how long she had no idea. Finally shaking her head, she turned to go to the kitchen and fell to the floor at the bottom of the stairs.

Find out what happens to Gracelyn and the curse her own sister cast on her in Behind the Mask

The first story in 

Two tales of Curses...

Buylink:http://www.amazon.com/Curses-ebook/dp/B005XBDUU8/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1319147185&sr=8-8

Jacqueline Paige

http://jacqpaige.webs.com/

New cover and an excerpt!

I love this cover!  

...then again I might be a little biased as the 

background picture is from my favorite hide away we 

escape to when time allows us to.

Curses named appropriately because it is two of my stories 

about curses - Behind the Mask and This Ring. 

I'll post more details when I have them.

Thanks again to Jared from Off The Wall Creations 

for a wonderful cover!!

Here's an excerpt from Behind the Mask

He wasn’t a detective for crying out loud! He studied the map again and looked up out the windshield. It had been three days, or partial ones, and nothing so far. The spell words he’d sent out in the air had led him in the same direction time and time again, but then, it would just fade, leaving him on the side of the road.

Cursing, he tossed the map into the passenger’s seat. He needed food, coffee, and some sleep. He reached over and searched through the pile of newspapers on the seat, all from small rural towns he had been through, all not pointing him in any direction that would yield information. Sighing, he glanced out the window.

Across the street was an old graveyard, not one of those with new polished headstones and pretty flower holders. This one had old gothic tombstones and a sense of history, and he was sure that if he’d gotten out and checked, magic.

Evan looked slowly from the graveyard back to the pile of papers. Obituaries had been the one place he hadn’t thought of looking. It was a long shot, but he was out of ideas otherwise. Picking up the first one, he quickly flipped to the back. No deaths recently in this community.

He checked the four papers, and only one had any notices listed.

Jacqueline Paige

http://jacqpaige.webs.com/

News about A Dream

I didn't follow my own schedule of slowing down and
taking it easy for the summer to give my brain a bit of
a rest.
As a result of doing this though I have news!


The two part story series I wrote a few years ago
In Our Dream and From A Dream (oddly enough
I titled the series A Dream...) that were published at
Amira Press are only going to be available as 
separate stories until July 31st.


After this, they will no longer be at Amira Press
and you will have to wait to read them when they
are released in print in the fall (at least this is the tentative
date I'm aiming for).   Reviewers and Readers alike
wanted to see more of the characters in this series
so I've decided to put both 
parts as well as the unpublished third and
final piece of the series into one book!!


More news...


Also only available until July 31st is Behind the Mask.
It will be back as well (I'm aiming for Hallowe'en on this
one as it is a Hallowe'en tale) along with a second 
previously unpublished story-  This Ring, that is presently 
undergoing the heavy edit phase of writing.


I'm so excited having these all coming out so close
together.


There's still more ...


Presently awaiting release dates (and gobs of editing
rounds) are:


Book II in the Hidden Senses Trilogy - Dream Visions


Book I in the Animal Trilogy - Animal Heart


The Magic Seasons series -
Book I  From Beltane Magic (previously released as
Beltane Magic)
Book II The Solstice Heat (previously released as
Solstice Heat)
Book III Harvest Dreams


Waiting in my editing pile is:


After the Silence


An Autumn Dance

And finally in my writing file awaiting
completion:


The Witch Descends


Inner Reflections


Good thing I decided to take it easy for a while...


I have some guests coming up on the blog
stop by on Friday July 8th for David M Brown.

Jacqueline Paige

http://jacqpaige.webs.com/

Excerpt Thursday - Behind the Mask

Evan smiled a huge fake grin at the nurse in a too-tight costume as he worked his way back toward the bar. He stopped and watched his, what would he call him? He was an employee, but he handled everything from Evan’s cars to calling the pool cleaners. He was also the only employee who knew of his magical abilities and had no problems with it. Whatever his title was, he was having a blast playing bartender at the party. Dressed as a Chippendale, and not the chipmunk kind, he flirted with an Egyptian princess that was waiting for her drinks. He waited until Teddy had struck out before leaning on the bar.

“How’s the king of the jungle?” Teddy leaned on the other side of the counter.

Evan hissed out a long breath. “Bored silly.” He glanced around the candle lit room at the too many costumed people acting like kids. “Did I invite this many?” And where was Arianna? It was past nine, and he’d started to feel like everyone was noticing he was watching the door more than the people talking to him.

Teddy looked around the room and shrugged his naked shoulders. “I don’t know when you consider each invite bringing a date . . .” He nodded. “Yeah probably.” He poured a rum and Coke and handed it to Evan. “You could select some sexy demon or angel to cosy up to.”

Evan sighed and fiddled with the napkins stacked neatly on the bar. “And how do I know which of them I’m boss to and which I’m not? I can’t go to work on Monday and find out I was seducing my own assistant or one of the secretaries.” He sipped the drink. “Tell me again why I wanted masks only.”

Teddy wiggled his dark eyebrows at him. “For the intrigue and mystery.”

Evan laughed. “Next time I want intrigue and mystery, tell me to go buy a book or watch a movie, okay?”

Teddy nodded. “Okay.” He glanced toward the entrance and then snapped his neck back to look at the door again. “Wow,” he whispered. “That’s several steps beyond intrigue and moving right into hot!”

Evan chuckled at the description and turned to look over his shoulder. Very nice, he thought at first glance. A witch stood in the entranceway looking around. She had passed on the typical witch portrayal and had gone for sexy instead. Her auburn hair hung just past her shoulders and framed her masked face. He ran his eyes down her curved shape to her black heels, and she pulled off sexy exquisitely. He was about to turn back to Teddy when she turned and a slender, very nicely shaped leg peaked out of the slit in black skirt. Black fishnet stockings lovingly wrapped that leg.

He turned more in the direction of the entranceway and took his fill of observing each inch of that leg. Every man has one weakness, he thought, and his just happened to be fishnet stockings. Maybe it was odd, but still the truth. She had gone from mildly interesting to extremely appealing with one move of a leg. He shook his head and reached back to quickly down the rest of his drink. Setting the glass on the bar, he gave the grinning bar tender a shrug. “As the host, it would be rude to not go over and greet her.”

  Jacqueline Paige

http://jacqpaige.webs.com/