Evil Embers by Cristelle Comby - Book Tour + Giveaway
Evil Embers (Vale Investigation, book 2)
by Cristelle Comby
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GENRE: Urban Fantasy
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BLURB:
After narrowly preventing the destruction of Cold City, PI Bellamy Vale needs a rest.
Or rather, he needs a plain and simple vanilla case—no monsters or otherworldly creatures involved!
Or rather, he needs a plain and simple vanilla case—no monsters or otherworldly creatures involved!
When foreign businessman Eli Smith shows up at his doorstep with a thick wallet and a request to
find his missing sister, Vale doesn’t think twice before agreeing.
find his missing sister, Vale doesn’t think twice before agreeing.
If he’d known body-hopping demons and smoke monsters came attached to this job, however,
he might have.
he might have.
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EXCERPT
The door slammed shut as something grabbed at me. And by “grabbed”, I mean “lifted me off the
ground and rammed me into the nearest wall”.
ground and rammed me into the nearest wall”.
The structure bent under the impact while a nightmare that would have fit in an old-school
John Carpenter movie screamed at me. With my gas mask on, I never heard it coming.
John Carpenter movie screamed at me. With my gas mask on, I never heard it coming.
Dazed, I glanced up and faced sharp, yellow-tainted teeth. They formed a circular pit of canines,
ready to swallow my head whole. I pulled a knife from my boot and slashed the creep at the center
of its mass. The fiend’s scream rose an octave as the cold steel struck home.
ready to swallow my head whole. I pulled a knife from my boot and slashed the creep at the center
of its mass. The fiend’s scream rose an octave as the cold steel struck home.
The creature dumped me back on the floor before dissipating into nothingness.
The attack sucked the air out of my lungs, and I spent the next few minutes coughing through the
mask. I felt like kicking myself. I spent my first week here carving wards around the entire six-block
area before going in for the first time. I should have known better than to cut one on this house’s front
door and move on. I forgot the back door. That mistake left that damned poltergeist way too much
room to attack.
mask. I felt like kicking myself. I spent my first week here carving wards around the entire six-block
area before going in for the first time. I should have known better than to cut one on this house’s front
door and move on. I forgot the back door. That mistake left that damned poltergeist way too much
room to attack.
The monster du jour was a ghost, an escapee from the realm of death—the Underworld, Hell,
or whatever else you call the place people go to once they’re done with life. From what I knew,
not everyone turns Casper in their afterlife. However, those who do become near-mindless creatures
stuck in their own plane of existence. When they make it to our side of the border, they turn into full
ectoplasmic savages.
or whatever else you call the place people go to once they’re done with life. From what I knew,
not everyone turns Casper in their afterlife. However, those who do become near-mindless creatures
stuck in their own plane of existence. When they make it to our side of the border, they turn into full
ectoplasmic savages.
The dead guy I stepped over near the open back doorway was proof enough of that.
What was once an engineer working for the city now had his chest cavity cut down to the bone
and his head severed from his body. Blood splatters all but drowned out the muted yellow of his
shredded biohazard suit. Judging from the angle of what remained of his corpse, he was trying to flee
the house when the poltergeist got him.
What was once an engineer working for the city now had his chest cavity cut down to the bone
and his head severed from his body. Blood splatters all but drowned out the muted yellow of his
shredded biohazard suit. Judging from the angle of what remained of his corpse, he was trying to flee
the house when the poltergeist got him.
“Dammit,” I muttered as I tightened the straps on my gas mask. Whoever this engineer was,
I was pretty sure he didn’t come in here alone, which meant I may have to explain what a six-foot
PI in a surplus army jacket, a gas mask right out of the First World War and second-to-thirdhand
leather gloves was doing in an area strictly reserved for city workers and engineers.
I was pretty sure he didn’t come in here alone, which meant I may have to explain what a six-foot
PI in a surplus army jacket, a gas mask right out of the First World War and second-to-thirdhand
leather gloves was doing in an area strictly reserved for city workers and engineers.
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Guest post
Guest post
The Art of Storytelling
Storytelling is an important part of our lives whether we realize it or
not. We tell stories to our loved ones. We laugh as we reminisce about the
past. Your favorite brands use storytelling to improve their sales. Your
favorite authors write stories for a living. People love stories. People also
love telling them. What makes stories so engaging?
We are just naturally drawn to stories. Some don’t even know why. Maybe
because we like to learn through other’s experiences. Perhaps we like to put
ourselves into other people’s shoes and see experiences from a different
perspective. Stories are all around us. You may not notice it, but you are
being influenced by storytelling almost every day.
Given its popularity and usefulness, we will be going over some tips on
how to improve your own storytelling. We may not know why they work so well,
but we do know they are useful for engaging an audience. Whether you are
writing a story, blog post, or just having a conversation, storytelling will
play an important role somewhere in your life. Plus, learning to tell better
stories never hurts. With that said, let’s get to it!
Your Story Should Be Clear
Whoever you’re telling the story to shouldn’t have to do any work. Don’t
use words they don’t understand. Unfortunately, you won’t always be able to use
the fancy new words you learned the other day. Also, be sure to give them
enough context to understand what’s going on. If your audience doesn’t
understand your story, you will lose them.
Keep It Simple
Have you ever found yourself missing parts of a story due to confusion?
Sometimes the storyteller appeals to the wrong audience. Sometimes the
storyteller isn’t clear enough. If your audience has to ask questions to
clarify your story, you’re not providing enough context. Don’t treat your
audience like five-year-olds, but make your story clear enough for one to
understand it.
Keep Your Story To The Point
Your story should have zero unnecessary parts. If your story
isn’t concise and on point, you will lose your audience. People’s minds will
wander if you’re not concise. Cut out as much flab as possible without losing
any meaning to your story. If you add in too much unnecessary information, you
might start ranting. While rants can be enjoyable, ranting is not appropriate when
storytelling. Your audience doesn’t want to hear you rant and ramble, they want
to walk through your experiences.
The Importance of Cliffhangers
Have you ever found yourself on the edge of your seat while reading a
story? You probably didn’t notice it at the time, but you experienced a
cliffhanger. The cliffhanger is what keeps you reeled in all the way through.
Here’s an example of a cliffhanger, which is often found in the first
paragraph.
“I found myself driving 60 miles per hour down the highway when
suddenly, my brakes stopped working. I panicked as I began approaching a parked
semi-truck. It got closer and closer. Before I tell you what happened next, let
me explain…”
You don’t give up the conclusion until the end of the story. This not
only keeps them in suspense the entire time, but also motivates them to listen
carefully to the rest of the story. This is a powerful technique, so make sure
your cliffhanger is good! In order for this to work, your audience shouldn’t
already know the end of your story. It’s pointless to add a cliffhanger to a
story that your audience knows the ending to!
Conclusion
Using these two techniques, you can make your audience really want
to listen. How can your audience not enjoy a story that is easy to
follow and suspenseful? There is a lot more to storytelling, but these
techniques are staples when it comes to this stuff.
Storytelling is an art and science, so the last piece of advice I can
leave you is to practice. Storytelling is a skill, so don’t ever feel like you
can’t improve. Anybody can improve their storytelling ability just by
practicing.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Cristelle Comby was born and raised in the French-speaking area of Switzerland,
on the shores of Lake Geneva, where she still resides.
on the shores of Lake Geneva, where she still resides.
She attributes to her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying love for chocolate.
She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.
She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.
She is the author of the Neve & Egan Cases series, which features an unlikely duo of private
detectives in London: Ashford Egan, a blind History professor, and Alexandra Neve, one of his students.
detectives in London: Ashford Egan, a blind History professor, and Alexandra Neve, one of his students.
Currently, she is hard at work on her Urban Fantasy series Vale Investigation which chronicles
the exploits of Death’s only envoy on Earth, PI Bellamy Vale, in the fictitious town of Cold City, USA.
the exploits of Death’s only envoy on Earth, PI Bellamy Vale, in the fictitious town of Cold City, USA.
Twitter :
Website :
Goodreads :
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
10 Comments
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteMy family and I all appreciate you bringing to our attention the book description of another great book to read. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading the author's guest post today
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Cristelle
You're very welcome! :)
DeleteHappy Friday, thanks for sharing the great post - I enjoyed reading it :)
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read a book more than once? Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new book and good luck on the book tour!
ReplyDeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.