Title: FIRST BITE
Author: Avery Daniels
Publisher: Blazing Sword Publishing, Ltd.
Pages: 290
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
BOOK BLURB:
In 24 hours, Misty Summers had the worst date of her life, was bit by a vampire, and her PI boss may close his business as he goes through a divorce. Looking on the positive side, she decides to use her new vampire assets and become the private investigator to keep her income. She doesn’t know what her future holds, but it can’t be any worse! When she starts following up on a missing woman’s case, she finds herself in the middle of murder.
Book Information
Release Date: May 1, 2022
Publisher: Blazing Sword
Ebook: ASIN;
290 pages; $2.99
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OmzDl4
Book Excerpt:
Chapter One
“I never want to see you
again!” I slammed the passenger side door. Roger sped off in his red
truck, his dragging muffler sounded like a tray of silverware ground in a
garbage disposal. That ended the date from hell. He took
me to a cheap restaurant, we saw the budget dollar movie, and I had to pay for
my own popcorn. I can understand being on a budget, truly, I get it.
But then to get all handsy in a parking lot, right under a parking
light! He had the nerve to get upset when I said no. I
had to slap him. When he slapped me back, I elbowed him in his
jewels. The complete jerk.
There was a sickle moon hanging lazily
in the sky and a cool autumn breeze rustled the gold and russet
leaves. I walked faster to warm up. I hadn’t brought a
coat since I’d expected to be driven. A gust whipped my hair across
my eyes and I swept it back. I took a deep breath and wondered at
the smell of autumn, the slightly sharp tang in the crisp air. I
wrapped my arms around myself.
The
bright side was I stood up for myself and put an end to his
assault. Unfortunately, I’m stranded after eleven in a rougher part
of town on a Sunday night with nobody around. I wish I could
strangle Roger’s pencil neck. I can walk off my anger; we don’t have
an Uber or such in the small town of Majestic. I needed to recapture
my positive vibes anyway, so a walk would do me good.
Another positive item to the evening
was I didn’t spring for a new or previously owned dress for the
evening. It would have been wasted on the moron,
anyway. I wore my deep purple sleeveless turtleneck and black
pants. It was classic and more than he deserved. My best
friend, Courtney, had assured me this blind date would be different. Oh,
it was different, all right, and not in a good way.
I’ve never actually had a good date,
not one single good memory of a date. Tears stung my
eyes. Enough negativity. I recited my mantra. I
am ready for the perfect man for me. I am working on myself to be
the person who will attract my perfect partner. After yet another
disheartening experience, it’s all I can do to not blame it all on
myself. Nope, the right man is coming to me. Yeah,
okay. I may be trying to convince myself more than attracting Mr.
Right into my life. I’m okay with that at the moment.
My
low-heeled strappy sandals slapped against the sidewalk, an exclamation point
with every step. There wasn’t any traffic, and I had a couple of
miles to go. Other than my footsteps, it was quiet except for a dog
barking in the auto salvage yard behind me. But I felt a presence and knew I
wasn’t alone. I sped up. I was speed walking now and my
heart hammered. This really wasn’t a good area. Majestic
was a modest-sized town, just big enough to warrant two canines on the police
force. I didn’t want to find out firsthand about the seedy side of
town.
Were those footsteps behind me? I stopped abruptly. I heard
a scuff, then nothing. My senses screamed run, and
even though my sandals weren’t the best for it, at least they were strapped
on. I grabbed hold of my purse strap to keep my purse with
me. I didn’t care how it looked; I took off running for everything I
was worth. My mind continued to yell, faster, faster!
One
instant, it was a clear sidewalk in front of me, and the next I ran into a man
who had just appeared. My mind reeled at his abrupt
materialization. His eyes were strange; even in the dark, his eyes
bore into mine. I took my purse and aimed for his head. He moved so
fast I barely saw a blur. Next thing I knew, the guy was behind me,
had pinned my arms, and was trying to give me a hickey!
Worst day ever! There just is no positive way to look at any of this night. I struggled, scratched, and kicked but was losing my energy quickly. I remember slumping to the ground. I think he was still attached to my neck. I wanted to keep fighting, but I couldn’t even stay conscious.
About the Author
Avery Daniels was born and raised in Colorado, graduated from college with a degree in business administration and has worked in fortune 500 companies and Department of Defense her entire life. Her most eventful job was apartment management for 352 units. She still resides in Colorado with two brother black cats as her spirited companions. She volunteers for a cat shelter, enjoys scrapbooking and card making, photography, and painting in watercolor and acrylic. She inherited a love for reading from her mother and grandmother and grew up talking about books at the dinner table.
Her latest book is the paranormal cozy mystery, First Bite.
You can visit her website at http://avery-daniels.com/. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, and Bingebook.
Sign up for her newsletter at www.tinyurl.com/2p952mcv.
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