Today I am so pleased to welcome Kris T. Bethke to Joyfully Jay. Kris has come to talk to us about her latest release, The 12th Witch. She has also brought along an exclusive excerpt and great giveaway! Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

 

Hello everyone! Special thanks to Jay for letting me hijack the blog today to tell you about my newest release, The 12th Witch.

I knew it had to include the number twelve. JMS Books has been publishing books for twelve years now, and it was going to be for the 12th anniversary celebration. But other than that, I had no idea what else to write about. I thought of, and subsequently discarded, a bunch of ideas. But then it hit me.

Rocks.

Well, crystals to be more precise. A passion of mine. And I’d recently taken up rock tumbling, and rocks and crystals were on my brain. And I do love a good paranormal story, so of course, magic was always right there.

So I had Cole, a witch who worked with crystals and stones, and drew on them for his power. But how to incorporate the number twelve? You know, that key thing the story had to include. And then, again, in a strike of inspiration, it came to me.

What if Cole was the de facto leader of his coven? A coven that was one member short? And they were looking for their 12th witch? And Justin just happened to be new in town and, though reluctant to join a coven, clearly needed help?

The 12th Witch is the story of their meeting and their connection and how Justin comes to trust Cole. It’s a strong HFN ending, with hopefully a sequel coming out in a few months. I hope you get a chance to read it, and enjoy it as much as I do.


Excerpt

“Aha!” I emerged triumphant from a bottom drawer with a hefty piece of black tourmaline. It was at least three inches long, and a good two inches thick. I had no idea how it had gotten there, didn’t remember even bringing it to the office, but it could have been there for years, if I was honest. It didn’t matter, though, because it was exactly what I needed. I would have liked some carnelian as well, to help with the grounding. Or even some fluorite. But I hadn’t found either in my search. I toyed with the idea of calling for some from home, using a teleportation spell to bring them here, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. That would use far too much power that I needed to focus on Justin.

Maybe he’d let me work some magic for him on other stones and drop them off to him later.

“So, you’re a rocks kind of guy, huh?” Justin asked, quietly and with no judgment when he spied the black tourmaline in my hand.

I shrugged, unashamed. “I like them. They work well all on their own, but doubly so when magic is mixed in.” I shot him a wink. “Plus, they’re pretty.”

Justin chortled, but it didn’t escape my notice that his fingers were back to twisting the hem of his shirt. It was clearly a nervous gesture, telegraphing his anxiety. I’d have to get him an amethyst worry stone to soothe that. At least that way, he wouldn’t tug any more shirts out of shape.

“That’s true. I’m more drawn to the elements myself.”

“Makes sense. Considering you’re a weather witch. Which means you like”—I snapped my fingers, making the candles ignite—“fire.”

Justin shook out his shoulders, and I didn’t miss the gleam in his eyes as he lifted a palm. With it, a breeze slid through the room, the flames on the candles dancing in the current.

“I prefer air.”

Oh, I liked his sass. Even more, I liked that he was comfortable enough to show it to me. We’d come a long way in just a few minutes. That made me ridiculously pleased for reasons I wasn’t about to explore. I had more important things to focus on for the moment.

“Clearly.”

Justin laughed, a carefree sound, and he allowed the breeze to fade away. After a second, the flames settled, too. “Thank you for helping me. How do you want to do this?”

“As I said a little bit ago, I’m more than happy to help.”  I’d say it as many times as he needed to hear it. “I’m going to cast a power circle, then I want you to step into it. I’ll feed you the grounding spell and once we’ve got you balanced, I’ll help you get your shields realigned. And here, take this.”

Justin gently took the tourmaline from me, and cradled it in his palm. He stared at it for a long moment and I didn’t know what he could possibly be looking for. But then he shook himself out of whatever daze he’d fallen into and shot me a small though shaky smile.

“Let’s do it.”


Blurb

Cole Demauro is the de facto leader of his coven and he takes that responsibility seriously. But the coven is one member short and finding a witch to fill the spot has proven difficult. It’s not easy to find a person who not only has magic that resonates with the coven, but also fits in. But there’s no doubt the coven needs another witch to bolster everyone’s magic. After all, covens work best with twelve witches.

Enter Justin Trews.

New to the area and reluctant to join a coven, Justin’s been managing on his own. But it’s no longer enough. When they meet for the first time, Justin’s magic is a mess, and Cole is determined to help. Not only is the beautiful man clearly suffering, but Cole is the type to want to fix it. His attraction to Justin only increases that need. But what neither man expects is how well their magic fits together.

Justin is cautious, but Cole is nothing if not patient. He works to coax Justin out of his shell and persistently shows Justin there’s nothing to fear. When Justin agrees to take the risk, everything falls into place. Justin is a perfect fit for the coven. More than that, he’s the perfect fit for Cole.


Bio

Kris is a bisexual hardcore fan of romance, and has been from a very young age. She believes love is love, no matter the gender of people involved, and all love deserves to be celebrated. With that in mind, she writes romance across several subgenres but with the ultimate goal of a satisfying happily ever after at the end. That is, after all, the important part.

Kris lives in a converted attic with a pack of rodents who amuse her daily, and long naps on the weekend are her greatest pleasure. A creative soul and an avid daydreamer, her pursuits range past just the written word into fiber arts, candle and soap making, and expressing herself with makeup. Kris finds inspiration in all of life’s twist and turns. From the mundane to the fantastical, just about anything will make it into her books. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to get in touch through email, Facebook, or Twitter.


Giveaway

Kris has brought a choice of backlist book to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Sunday, August 21st at 11:59 pm ET.


  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
  • All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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