Blurb & excerpt for Tail on the Moon (plus giveaway)

First up today in my bag of offerings is a blurb and excerpt from Tail on the Moon, which is the sixth and final book in the Holiday Magic series. This will release from Lyrical Press on October 17th. Settle in a revisit with Crystal Falls...Things aren't exactly good...

Blurb for TAIL ON THE MOON

Finding herself is harder than she expected.

Rosemary Nickles is stressed out. She has no knack for magic, and lives in Crystal Falls, where that just won't do. It's not easy being a plain old human in a town full of magic makers, especially when her sister is incredibly talented in the paranormal department.

Part-time firefighter, full-time hottie Luke Nolin harbors a secret. Every month he turns furry and howls at the full moon. Even living and working in Crystal Falls, he's not comfortable being a werewolf. Years earlier he nearly killed someone, so devotes his energy to hiding his inner lycanthrope.

If Luke can learn to embrace his true self, then Rosemary might just discover there is more to her than even she knows about. Their path to true love isn’t easy—the town is a mess, the resident witch and order-keeper is gone, and a gang of thugs has taken over Halloween. But this is Crystal Falls, where through acceptance and love anything is possible...just remember to watch out for things that go bump in the night.

Excerpt:

Rosemary needed the magic she knew lurked deep within her. If Zoe had it, then common sense dictated she did, too. Maybe, if she coaxed it out, she could make a difference in the town.

Patience.

She huffed in irritation. After weeks of dreaming about wolves howling at the moon and shadowy men whose faces she never saw, this voice had started flowing through her mind like a dark chocolate river. Deep and commanding, the voice only issued one- or two-word orders unless she was in a dream. Then it whispered all kinds of endearments, heavy with promise, until she woke up sweaty and warm all over.

But that wasn’t magic, was it?

She was going crazy. Maybe that was her special skill, the ability to conjure mystery men in her head and hold romantic conversations with them. One thing was certain. She wouldn’t be telling anyone about this particular problem.

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, keeping a wary eye on the teens. The sad truth was, without her sister or Mrs. Wiggins to talk to, loneliness had set in, as well as constant confusion. Not even her job as a bank teller could fill the dead void she felt inside. Just once, she’d like to feel needed by someone else.

No magic, no romance, no future. Great. If it wasn’t for the rambling Victorian-style boardinghouse she was responsible for by default, Rosemary would have left Crystal Falls for bigger and better things. She couldn’t ditch the old house. Something about it drew her to it, kept her tethered as if it wasn’t finished with her--except she couldn’t figure out why.

She shifted to ease her aching muscles. Unfortunately, one of her knees pressed into a twig, snapping it. The sound echoed through the night like a slap.

“There she is!” The startled, pleased shout went up from one of the teens.

As a singular entity, the hooligans looked toward her hiding place. One crowed in triumph and pointed. The rest ground out their cigarette butts and surged forward.
“Get her!”

Run!

As if she needed the mystery voice to tell her what she obviously knew. She sprang to her feet, turned and ran. The muscles in her legs protested the sudden movement and burned as she bore down and darted through the trees. If she could somehow arrive in the town proper, she could easily find her way home. Besides, it would be safer with people around--relatively, considering she was streaking through a forest in her birthday suit.

The group behind her grumbled, anticipation thick in their shouts of encouragement to each other and their off-color taunts. Rosemary ignored them and concentrated on reaching the edge of the forest, suddenly visible to her as the moon emerged from behind a cloud bank. Silvery light filtered through the tree branches, causing the whole area to appear as if it had been touched by frost.

Almost there. She strained forward and, giving every last smidge of energy she had left, ran toward the opening in the trees. Beyond, the dark pavement of the road glimmered, bathed in moonlight. All she needed to do was follow the road into town, providing, of course, the boys didn’t follow.

Her heart felt stuffed in her throat. Behind her, a rifle shot broke the silence of the night. Rosemary took another step then faltered as a searing pain ripped through her right hip. Sticky wetness dribbled over her skin, tickling as it edged down her leg on gravity’s pull. In disbelief, she put a hand to the affected area and when she brought it up, blood clung to her fingers. She wondered why the boys had shot her, but not having an answer, she had no choice except to continue. Not paying attention, she tripped over a rotted, fallen log and pitched down a slight rise. Face first in the cool grass, she lay still, hoping the teens would get scared and leave her alone.

As soon as the hoodlums burst from the trees, the roar of a motorcycle droned into the silence, steadily increasing in volume the nearer it came. Rosemary risked a glance up. The teenagers scattered, cursing as they melted into the wooded area. Struggling to her feet, she staggered toward the road. She had to get home to be safe.

By the time she felt the rough texture of the asphalt beneath her toes, she was shaking and nearly in tears. Why had they singled her out? More than that, why didn’t they leave the town alone? She wrapped her arms around her torso. The white beam of the motorcycle’s headlight cut through the gloom, competing with the moon to illuminate the roadway.

She squinted, sucking in a breath of surprise when the machine rolled to a halt a feet few from her. Without a helmet, the man’s shaggy brown hair danced about his forehead in the breeze. Concern shone from glittering eyes while his stubble-covered jaw worked in amazement.

“Ma’am, are you okay?”

Rosemary stared at his wide shoulders and barrel chest. Her knees buckled and she sank to the chilly pavement. He sounded exactly like the voice she kept hearing in her head.

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