Blurb:
After centuries in the Black Sleep I’ve woken up to find my uncle, the regent, calling himself king. When I rise to the throne will he step back like he’s supposed to or put up a fight?
I get the answer I’m looking for when a mage attacks during a royal court event, cursing me to never be able to feed again. Just when I’m about to give myself to the sun everything changes and I know I’ve been betrayed on the deepest level.
The only question that remains is can these men that saved me from the sun help me take back what is mine?
Excerpt:
Once Kyra was around the table and standing behind her seat next to her father, the music changed to something statelier, as though I were an old woman, which I supposed in some ways was true. I ignored the dig at my age and began my own procession through the crowd.
The room was silent as everyone turned to stare at me, like a bride on her wedding day. No applause this time. Just a breath being held by everyone until I entered the room, and then murmurs and whispers spread like wildfire as women and men openly talked about me. It was like they had forgotten I had vampiric hearing just like them. Variations of “Doesn’t look much like a queen to me,” and “She may as well be a child,” and “Look at how beautiful she is,” filled my ears.
Once I was in front of my uncle, I curtsied as was custom and waited for him to release me from the pose. Since the short period of time until I was crowned was the only time he was going to get me to bow to him, I knew he would take advantage of it. That was just the kind of man he was. True to form, he let me hold the pose for much longer than necessary.
“My wonderful niece, how good to see you awake and moving around again! Stand, stand. We don’t need to be on formal behavior here.” He laughed, and the court joined in as though I had just made a complete idiot of myself.
I straightened and tried not to grimace at the mask he’d chosen. A huge smiling sun covered most of his face. There was something about the expression on the mask that seemed slightly menacing though. “Uncle, it’s good to see you again as well,” I said, plastering my best smile on my face. My uncle was a portly gentleman whose salt-and-pepper hair would have given him an air of elegance if it weren’t for his ruddy face. Before I’d slept, he had been a heavy drinker, a fact that his skin reflected even now, though he seemed quite sober. I always found it funny that most members of the royal family had the traditional pale skin that humans thought of as appropriate for a vampire, while other members had cavorted to the point that they looked more like the humans they so detested.
“Come and sit down. We set a special place for you tonight at my right-hand side.”
I didn’t miss the implication. The place was special because he never expected me to sit there again, and he certainly never imagined I’d be able to take his seat. I knew if I drew attention to the remark, he’d brush it off, tell me that I was being paranoid or too sensitive. So I smiled and sat, and quietly reaffirmed the knowledge that I wouldn’t be able to trust anyone in my family.
Where can readers find Black Slumber?
Available exclusively in A Cursed All Hallows' Eve: Limited Edition Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Reverse Harem Halloween Themed Collection
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The veil is thin. Darkness calls. Will you answer?
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AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Hello and welcome, readers! We have Helen Scott here with us today. Helen Scott, thanks for visiting us.
How long have you been a writer and how did you come to writing?
I’ve been an author for almost four years, but I’ve been writing for most of my life. I never expected to be an author, I just thought it wasn’t something I could do, I mean who can plan a whole book out let alone multiple books? But then I started taking classes and learning and slowly after a brief stint in the publishing industry itself I decided it was time to jump in.
Tell us about your title featured in: A Cursed All Hallows’ Eve
Black Slumber is the tale of a princess who has been asleep for centuries due to the royal vampires taking turns to be on the throne. It’s all about her waking up and dealing with the new world, and the people who don’t want to take her rightful place on the throne. There are curses and lovers and evil people who just want to have all the power for themselves.
How did you come up with the storyline?
It’s a bit of a twisted retelling of Sleeping Beauty but with vampires.
What inspires you to write?
The characters I day dream about, the worlds I wish I could visit, and of course the drama of falling in love.
Tell us about your other books:
I love mythology so most of my books have some of that running through them with a fantasy twist!
The Siren Legacy was my first series, which is about a group of brothers descended from the sirens from Greek mythology. I also have the Wardens of Midnight series (shifters who run an animal shelter). Both of these are just regular paranormal romance.
I also have the Cerberus series which is a PNR RH, and a Fantasy RH series called Four Worlds.
I'm lucky enough to have done some cowritten reverse harem series with some amazing authors! The first, The Salsang Chronicles, was with Serena Akeroyd (and is a complete series), but I also have a complete series, The Hollow, with Ellabee Andrews, a soon to be complete series with Lucinda Dark called Twisted Fae, and I have a series going with May Dawson called Prisoners of Nightstone, and I have a series called Legends Unleashed Lacey Carter Andersen!
Where can readers find you?
Come on over and join the fun in my reader group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/289711754819956/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/helenscottauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenscottauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelenM459
Website: http://www.helenscottauthor.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorhelenscot/
Don’t forget you can find me and all my books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Helen-Scott/e/B06W2HJX77 and BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/helen-scott-63356698-e15f-4baa-bacf-ebdf6902bfa6
About the Author:
Helen Scott lives in the Chicago area with her wonderful husband and furry, four-legged kids. She spends way too much time with her nose in a book and isn't sorry about it. When not reading or writing, Helen can be found absorbed in one video game or another or crocheting her heart out.
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