BLOG TOUR - STAY BY JENNIFER SILVERWOOD

Title: Stay

Author: Jennifer Silverwood

Release Date: 29th April 2014!

BLURB from Goodreads

Sometimes, love isn’t as magical as people expect it to be… Rona believes love is nothing more than a myth, a tale for little girls. As the oldest daughter, she knows duty and family honor as well as the difference between salt and cinnamon. Until the immortal ruler of the seas appears from thin air and she is swept into a dark and dangerous affair. What was formerly myth soon becomes part of the everyday. And Rona believes when Seid tells her they will be together forever. 

But forever is a long time and after she betrays him, what was supposed to be an eternity in paradise becomes an eternity in hell. Now she is cursed, unable to feel human emotions except through the couples she is led to save. 

Two thousand years is an awfully long time to live alone. And the business of love saving isn’t what it used to be. By the twenty-first century, love has become an illusion as grandiose as magic and Rona’s ready to give up. Until the night she is seen by a human. Deep in the underbelly of the city that never sleeps, she recognizes him instantly. He may dress differently and have gained a few new scars, but she would recognize the face of her former lover in any lifetime. Trouble is, he seems to have no memory of her and he and his ex-girlfriend are the ones whose true love she’s meant to save. 

But when he starts to fall for her, she is forced to learn what it means to be human all over again. Past and present come full circle in this tale of love, forgiveness and woe.

EXCERPT

 My new mission was close. When I turned the colors in my eyes just right I could

see his aura through the chaos of buildings and people. And the closer I drifted the faster I was, until I was no longer walking but floating, flying through every obstacle in my path.

Looking up at the buildings, I noticed the flashing lights had been mercifully left behind. Once his building was in sight my pulse began to sputter, to race and soar. I could feel the budding newness of his affection for her in my chest and savored it. This was the closest I came to feeling what they felt these days.

My vision cleared once I stood outside the window before them. All sound ceased

to exist, save their words and breaths. The café was dimly lit, a very old nightclub from the looks of it. Wordless music crooned up from below, horns and the strokes of piano keys. Feet shuffled in rhythm to the soft beat of a drum.

That was when I heard their voices for the first time.

“You look so perfect tonight, Lissa,” he practically growled in her ear.

She giggled and answered in a sultry tone, “Good enough to eat, sugar?”

Chuckling low, he kissed her on the lips. “That’s right, baby.”

I frowned as the brick wall kept blocking my vision and realized too late I wasn’t

peering through a window. I would have to go inside to better see. Walking through walls used to scare me senseless until I got the hang of it. Now I brushed the feeling aside as I squeezed past the gritty matter. The front room was built to disguise the underground world beneath it. It was worn down like the rest of this city and no one would ever believe the cultural haven it sheltered.

For a brief moment I recalled brilliant jewels and brassy music, short dresses lined

with tassels of an era gone by and women’s laughter over the chink of forbidden liquid.

The present incarnation pulled me back to the present. I had passed through the

secret door, walked down a short flight of stairs and now watched from inside the smoky club. Here women still dressed to please and men of a higher class sought their nightly trophies. On stage the jazz band played and at the center of the dance floor my newest assignment drank their fill of each other.

When the tempo began to drag into a slower tune, she tilted her head back to

expose her neck. Her long brown locks trailed to her red-clad hips. He tightened his hold on her waist as he kissed her neck. And I could feel the thrill in her heart temporarily mask a quiet sorrow.

Yet there was nothing from the man.

I frowned and turned my eyes to the rest of the establishment. Where was the

budding newness of his affection I so strongly felt outside?

“Excuse me?” A deep, rough voice came from behind me, over my shoulder and I

froze.

He cannot see me.

Convinced that he was speaking to another patron, I nearly walked on. Perhaps I

was not close enough to them to feel the man’s love for this girl?

“Come back to my place,” the man whispered into the woman’s ear. Her emerald

eyes sparkled as she batted her lashes and pulled back her full lips in a saucy grin.

I shook my head. Sex was never the key to a man’s unwavering devotion. Yet she

was considering it, hoping it would give him reason enough to keep her around longer, this time. I paused and shut my eyes as a flurry of images and sensations flashed past my closed lids. It took some time, depending on the difficulty of my mission, to grow accustomed to their emotions. Rather than simple feeling, human emotions often carried scattered memories and impressions. I pushed the usual discomfort aside.

I took another step and gasped when a hard hand clasped my shoulder and spun

me firmly round.

Impossible…

No one had touched me in two thousand years.

Yet his hand remained planted on my shoulder and I followed the shape of his

muscled arm to the chest attached to it. His black shirt was a tight fit and in the dim blue and red lights seemed to flash several colors. He bent down so his eyes met my line of sight.

My mouth dropped the moment I breathed in his scent.

He smelled like the skies before a rain and the sea air as it wafted into the

harbor…

My vision blackened and suddenly broke through in brilliant flashes of light

around his face. I could feel the colors growing, shifting and glowing in my eyes, beneath my skin. I clenched my fists as I fought for control, convinced I had lost it for the first time. Had I wanted him so badly in my memories that they came to life?

He clutched my waist to keep me from falling down the short flight of stairs. A

frown creased his brow as he said, “Whoa there, lady, take it easy. I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just my job to check everyone before they come in. You got any ID?”

I shook my head slowly and watched as those eyes, his eyes, shifted from the

dance floor and back to me a few times. Holding up a couple of fingers, he nodded to someone over my shoulder and returned his attention to me. Something flickered in those dark blue orbs akin to recognition. Clenching his firm jaw he sighed and then nodded to himself.

“Look, lady,” he began, “I’m really sorry but you can’t stay here without any ID.

Any chance you can find your way back up?”

I was trembling. Just hearing his voice again set every forgotten nerve in my body

on edge. My flesh was on fire beneath my cloak where his fingers touched. Still, I had forgotten my voice for too long and could not remember how to speak.

My cloak.

How could he see me when I had refastened my cloak once again? It was such a

thin, flimsy thing, like a second skin I wore so often I forgot. But no human had ever seen me beneath it before.

It has to be him.

His frown deepened, voice dropping to a softer unused tone. “You’re shaking all

over… You okay?”

No one else has the power to see.

My mouth opened but no sound came out. I was forbidden to speak to the

humans. And even though he had Seid’s face, the curse commanded my attention. Oddly enough, I could feel what he felt.

He feels nothing toward me.

He did not recognize me.

His eyes flickered up as two pairs of feet approached us from behind. Immediately his arm curled me closer to his chest and his eyes darkened. Lissa and her date were speaking in hushed tones, but I heard them clear as the true light.

“—so hard you won’t know what hit you, babe,” the man was saying.

Lissa giggled and playfully swatted him with her clutch. “Derek!”

They paused on our level at the head of the stair. Another girl brought their

jackets to them. As Derek helped Lissa into her fur jacket her gaze locked on to the man holding me.

That was when I felt it with such horrifying clarity. The aura I had followed across a country, across a city, was burning brightly between them. Invisible to them, the

golden strands were weak now, but the link between unmistakable. It was linking this

man, the man who wore his face, to her, Lissa.

The man holding me tensed and clutched me tighter to him again, his words stuck

on the roof of his mouth.

Instead the other girl who handed out and hung cloaks offered, “Good job tonight.

See you tomorrow, Lissa,” as Derek and Lissa walked through the secret door. And to my horror I watched the threads stretch and fade that linked them to me.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW 

Jennifer Silverwood was raised deep in the heart of Texas and has been spinning yarns a mile high since childhood. In her spare time she reads and writes and tries to sustain her wanderlust, whether it's the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, the highlands of Ecuador or a road trip to the next town.

After attending three different universities without managing to square a degree, she decided to the next logical thing; become a writer. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, in print or reality, she dreams of one day proving to the masses that everything really is better in Texas.

She is the author of the Heaven's Edge series, Stay and Silver Hollow.

Did you always want to be a writer? If not 

what did you want to be?

In the early days, I fancied myself a future concert harpist or nurse, in that order. But I've always been writing books and telling stories. One day I just "knew" this was what my passion was going to be and the goal I would push toward.  

Did it take a long time to get your first book published?

For years I wrote stories and began several different novels, all with the idea of one day publishing. But I knew I wasn't good enough to jump in that ocean. Until the day came when I discovered self-publishing through an online article. I reasearched and decided, no matter what, I was going to publish myself. And hopefully one day I would be good enough to join the big leagues.

Do you work another job as well as your writing work?

On the sidelines I'm a part time personal assistant and a part time office assistant. Notice the last term in both job descriptions. I am a big believer in variety and I love having an uneven schedule. Mainly, I work these jobs to pay the bills so I can write.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?

"Stay," is about a woman cursed to protect true love who is given a second chance.

Who is your publisher? or do you self publish?

I recently joined the 4WORD Publishing team and have been super impressed and pleased with our journey so far. I also self publish my science fiction novella series, and my novel, Silver Hollow.

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

Actually, I am currently working on the sequel to "Stay," which takes place some years later. Much like "Stay" focused on answering questions of true love, the sequel will take us to darker emotions. While I don't see it becoming a series, the sequel just appeared one day in my mind and refuses to be ignored.

If you had to choose to be one of your characters in your book/books which would you be? and why?

Of all my characters I've invented so far, I would probably choose to be Vynasha, the titular heroine from my upcoming fantasy. Although she goes through so much loss and pain, she is courageous in a quiet way. And she uses that courage to take her on a journey far beyond what she thought herself capable of.

Do you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially release them?ie. Your partner, children, friends, reviewers you know?

Oh yeah... I have a best friend I've been calling Hermione for years now because of her ability to nitpick while enjoying something I've written. She's my official eyes these days. Even farther back, I used to read out loud to my twin best friends in high school and junior high. They're still two of my biggest fans. It's very important to run your work through mulitple eyes before it is placed in your editor's hands.

How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books?

I come up with the title, sometimes when I'm writing a nameless story. But usually it comes quickly. And you just know when a title fits. Cover design is a whole other matter. I rely on the stellar talents of Najla Qamber to bring my work to the next level. Because while you can't always tell a book by it's cover, you can't sell a book without it. And there have been times when her talent has brought my own inspiration back to life.

What do you think makes a book a really good/bestseller ?

People have written essays about this, but I think it comes down to the heart. If a book can grab you by the jugular or some other vital organ, it's going to sell. Marketing and everything else can make a book popular, but long-lasting bestseller's have to have that extra oomph.

Do you think ebooks will ever totally replace printed books?

No way, Jose! As much as everyone is terrified about that, the proof is in the fine print. I still read printed books. And as long as there are printed novels and used book stores, people will go to and purchase them. I think the novelty of ebooks is in part the pricing. And as visual as our culture is, people still want to touch and feel something in their hands. It's an experience a tablet doesn't offer.

What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?

Read and write! It doesn't get any simpler or complex as that. The rest will follow.

Where can readers follow you?

Website:

http://jennifersilverwood.com

Blog:

http://silverwoodsketches.blogspot.com/

Twitter:

@JennSilverwood

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/silverwoodj

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5827602.Jennifer_Silverwood