Knights
of Stone
Highland
Gargoyles
Book
1
Lisa
Carlisle
Genre: Paranormal erotic romance
ASIN: B00O9EHH5E
Number of pages: 100
Book Description:
Gargoyles, tree witches, and wolf
shifters have divided the Isle of Stone after a great battle twenty-five years
ago. When Kayla, a tree witch, hears about the unconventional rock concerts in
the gargoyle’s territory, she sneaks from her coven and into their territory to
see for herself. Night after night, she returns to see one in particular shift
into human form and play guitar at these unconventional shows.
For several nights, Mason has
kept watch for the pixie-like female. He plans to seduce her, thinking she’s a
visitor from another island. When he discovers she’s one of the tree witches,
he retreats, attempting to keep his distance. The temptation is strong, but
forbidden.
Kayla and Mason attempt to meet
in secret, but other elements on the isle command their attention. A magical
cloak created by the three clans on the island is thinning, leading to
repercussions for all the clans. Kayla and Mason are caught in the middle of
it, and their actions may change the fate for all.
Excerpt
Five torches
blazed on the stage all at once, lit by an unseen force. The audience erupted
in cheers as the dancing lights from the flickering fire basked the statues.
The flames lowered, casting the gargoyles in an eerie, almost reverent glow.
Movement. So
slight, Kayla wondered if it was simply a play of light and shadows in her
anticipation for the change. She fixed her gaze on the statue in front of her,
the one she’d gravitated to each time she’d had snuck out to see the show. Its
massive gray form stood straight on two legs built for sturdiness. Its chest
jutted out proudly. Gray wings with detailed feathers etched in the stone
arched from a point below its shoulder blades. Eyes cast straight ahead on a
face that appeared to be a mixture of canine and lion. Its right hand twitched,
so slightly she would have missed it if she hadn’t stared so intently. Then a
clawed foot inched forward.
Murmurs of
astonishment burst from the crowd as the transformation began. Their cries of
fervor grew louder as the monstrous statues transformed into taller, slimmer
figures with the bronzed skin of warriors who battled under the midday sun. The
tartan fabric fell over their thighs as they stood erect, covering their
nudity.
Kayla barely
blinked, mesmerized as always, as the statue before her stood to full height,
taking on the form of a human male, but with beautiful raven wings. Hair just
as black snaked rebelliously past his chin. The stony eyes flickered with
animation, turning to a mossy green. His deep gaze seared the audience, seeming
to burn anything in the path. When he found Kayla, he stopped.
His expression
was unreadable, but the intensity in his unblinking eyes made her swallow. She
froze under the scrutiny as if hypnotized, unable to break eye contact. Her
stomach lurched, heart pounded, and every muscle in her body tightened, fueled
with blood now scorching through her veins. His penetrating appraisal affected
her so. When his eyes took on a smoldering glint, her skin tingled and a
red-hot awareness grew between her thighs.
He broke the stare
and continued to assess the audience. She gasped, not realizing she had been
holding her breath, and panted while she tried to breathe at a normal rate. He
turned on robust legs and strode to a guitar stand. She tore her eyes from him
to note the other gargoyles. They, too, had shifted into the form of striking
males. One had black hair draped further down his back, one had long blond
hair, and two had reddish-brown hair—one wavy and shaggy, the other straight.
They took their place at other instruments.
She sought the guitarist again and caught the first sound of the pick striking
the strings. On hearing the guitar projected through the amp, the crowd roared
again, pressing Kayla forward.
The freak show
was about to begin.
Spotlights
flooded the musicians, powered by solar panels near a massive amplifier. The
guitarist continued playing and the others joined in, playing a raucous
crossover between hard rock and heavy metal. The one with long blond hair
grabbed hold of the microphone and belted out a shattering cry that sounded
like a call to battle. The crowd went pin drop silent to listen and then
cheered in unison as the band played on. The front man sang piercing growls and
low croons about the Knights in Stone, the protectors of the ancient forests,
battling against the evil tree witches.
Kayla’s coven.
Author Bio
Lisa loves stories with dark,
brooding heroes and independent, caring heroines. She feels very honored to be
a multi-published author since she's wanted to write since the sixth grade. Her
travels have provided her with inspiration for various settings in her novels,
including deployments while she served in the Marines. She lived in Parris
Island, the California desert, and Okinawa, Japan. She also backpacked alone
through Europe, and lived in Paris, France, as an au pair before returning to
the U.S. and buying a book store. She now lives in New England with her
husband, two children, a cat, and many fish.
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Interview
Please welcome Knights of Stone author Lisa Carlisle to Diane’s Book Blog.
What is your favorite
part of the story, Knights of Stone?
I loved writing the
opening scene when you see the gargoyle shifters transform on stage for the
first time. Also, any time Mason and Kayla are struggling against their
attraction was great to write.
How long did it take
you to write Knights of Stone?
I wrote it first as a
short story. After it was complete, I kept thinking about it and wanted to
explore it more. I then fleshed out the story into a novella and am so glad I
did.
If you were stranded
on a desert island which of your characters do you want by your side?
Hmm, one of my
gargoyle shifters would be handy because they have that protective streak.
What is your typical
day
like?
I have a day job
writing nonfiction so I spend most of the day doing that. In the evening or
weekends, I shift over to the other part of my brain where I write fiction,
losing myself in the stories.
How do you overcome
writer’s block?
Luckily, it’s never
happened. Most of the time I’m thinking what
if and coming up with ideas for other stories.
What book are you
reading now?
I have a weird habit
of reading several books at once. One of them is Anne Rice’s Prince Lestat. She came to town recently
and signed my copy!
What do you prefer
paperback, hardcover, or ebooks?
I read them all. It
took awhile for me to get used to my Kindle, but now I go through several short
stories and novellas on them. Novels or non-fiction, I tend to read in
paperback or hardcover.
Giveaway
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