I experienced Zeenie’s nightmare
in a dream. The attack. The masked man. The ridiculous cat clock whose tail she
watched swinging back and forth as she endured what no woman should. I felt her
terror as she struggled against the drug, her panic, her desperate attempts to
send pleas of help to her friends.
My heart thrummed in my ears as I
jolted awake and slipped from the bed. Two a.m., but the scenes still burned in
my mind. It wasn’t until I was halfway through recording the scene, my fingers
flying across a keyboard, that I realized Zeenie was humanoid, yet not human.
She’d been using telepathy and wasn’t even of Earth, yet she lived in Dallas,
Texas and shared a world not unlike my own.
Aliens, paranormal phenomenon and
alternate reality, oh my! What was I writing?
The more her world developed
under my fingers, the more I realized this was nothing like I’d ever seen
myself writing, and the tragic ordeal she’d experienced would have far-reaching
consequences. For Zeenie, and for the man she eventually chose and claimed as
her life mate.
Turk. Alpha and sexy as hell,
he’d have to love her and hunger for her like no other. He’d have to be
emotionally strong to wait for her to recover enough to be ready again, all the
while, yearning, dreaming of one day...
Phantoms & Fantasies:
After a
devastating trauma, Zeenie attended a college mixer and experienced powerful
Crainesian pheromones between herself and Turk. Unprepared for the life-mate
call, she panicked and fled. Turk has waited and yearned for Zeenie for years
while staying dialed in to her recovery. Finally, rumor says she’s ready to
date again, and he’s determined to make her short list, even if it means
resorting to a little trickery.
Zeenie’s plan is
to ease back into the world of dating, not dive in heart first. Especially not
with the hunk who’s supposedly bedded half the women in Dallas since she
rejected him. On a blind date, he surprises her with patience and maturity when
she fights against their pheromone bond, then shows tenderness and
consideration when phantoms of her past arise.
As she learns
more about Turk, Zeenie entertains heated fantasies of what could be and makes
tentative forays into his sensual world. But her initial rejection broke with
Crainesian custom and continues to cast a dark shadow on their future. Can she
embrace her sexuality and summon enough courage to claim her man in true
Crainesian style, or will their growing love be tainted forever?
“Phantoms and
Fantasies is a magical story of love, passion, and healing that will have
readers hanging on to every word.” –Tammy, Fallen Angels Reviews, 5 Angels, a
Recommended Read!
“This was an
breathtaking story. Ms. Rayburn has totally created a world that is both believable
and sexy. I could see myself living next door to a Crainesian and am envious of
the link the life mates have with each other. I read this story in one sitting,
it was that good. I think the author has a definite keeper with this new world
and I can't wait to read more.” – Tami Brothers, (Amazon 5-star review)
Annie Rayburn is the
pseudonym of Carol Burnside, an award-winning
author. Five of her novel length, contemporary romance manuscripts have placed
in numerous RWA chapter contests and won five, including the prestigious Maggie
Award for Excellence.
Writing as
Annie Rayburn, she produces soft sci-fi and lite paranormal erotic romances
which have been favorably received. Talk about cross-genre! While Carol/Annie enjoys the adoration she
receives from her furbabies, what she really loves is hearing from her readers.
Enjoy
excerpts, review snippits, and more about her
sexy Crainesian characters on her website or
connect with her via Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Newsletter / Goodreads / Pinterest or www.PetitFoursAndHotTamales.com.
3 comments:
pretty nice blog, following :)
Lee, thanks for hosting me on your blog. If we reach a minimum of five comments, I'm giving away an ecopy of Phantoms & Fantasies to one of those lucky commenters!
It is, isn't it? I love the background colors.
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