Return of my (in)sanity

Hello my lovelies! I know I don't update my blog like I should, but I'm sure that's no surprise to many of you. For those who haven't been following my journey, I struggle with anxiety and sensory processing issues. Last year, I let things get too overwhelming and completely vanished for a while. Now, I'm trying to manage things a bit better, yet I still have to disappear for a bit at a time.

Recently, I had the awesome opportunity to go to Lori Foster's RAGT and it was a BLAST. I met so many amazing authors and readers and I'm one step closer to fulfilling the job of my dreams by becoming a full-time author. I can't even begin to describe how exciting it was, but it was also stressful for me. I do well one on one and I had some coping mechanisms in place, but being around that many people and that much noise was very difficult. Combine that with the week before having a different kind of insanity with my best friend having her baby 5 weeks early, and it was a perfect storm. Then there was the weekend after RAGT where I had a signing and my sister's baby shower. Suffice it to say, I've needed to decompress.

As you've probably figured out, Waking the Phoenix is still not released yet. With the pressures of everything going on (I haven't even mentioned what's happening in my day job), I couldn't give the book the attention it, and my readers, deserve. I'm so blessed to have an amazing publisher who encourages me to focus on my writing instead of meeting the deadline when I'm stressed out beyond belief.

Things are calming now so it's back into the writing! I'll be finishing Waking the Phoenix, and I'll also be working on my new project, Dante. I pitched this at RAGT to Carina Press and also had a critique session with the editorial director of Carina and she's so excited about it :) This will be a paranormal romance line completely separate from my Mythrian Realm.

As always, thank you all so much for your support. I couldn't do what I love without you all, especially the encouragement you all give me as I share my struggles. I truly adore writing and one day, it'll be my full time career. Until that day, I'll do my best to squeeze it in :)

I do love hearing from readers so please, if you've enjoyed any of my books, feel free to email me at pa.lindsayavalon AT gmail DOT com. Also, please take the time to leave a short review and find me on Facebook. I should have some more updates and snippets soon!

Caught in a cycle of life, death and rebirth…

Cursed with immortality, Nicolei believes the vampire blood coursing through his veins means he will forever be alone. As he prowls through the countryside, draining peasants one after another, his hatred for his existence only grows. Until one night fate shows him a life of possibilities with a beauty that deserved more than a dingy tavern. Claiming Katarina was easy; taming her was more of a challenge. She would be the life or death of him with her mischief, but her bewitching ways would keep him chasing her for centuries.

Is it merely Déjà vu or fate that brings us together?

Rispa takes refuge in New Orleans during a desperate attempt to escape a treacherous life with her sadistic husband, Thorn. Drawn to the Big Easy by an unknown force, she prays the spirits said to haunt the city will protect her. Her senses come alive while walking the streets of the French Quarter, and an intriguingly familiar woman named Onyx enters her life. As their passions rise, whispered voices and memories of the past help unlock the secrets of their souls…

Immortal or mortal, can love truly last the ages?

Buy it on: Amazon or Nook

CHAPTER SIX

Onyx woke as the sun’s bright rays pierced the room. Stumbling out of bed, she cursed under her breath for not closing the curtains the night before. With one hand over her eyes to shield them from the light, she made her way to the windows pulling the curtains closed. Welcoming the darkness again, she approached the bed to gaze at the lovely Rispa, still in peaceful slumber. The last twelve hours sent her life into a whirlwind. A woman she’d dreamt about walked into her life yesterday. It’d started out as a normal day. Today she felt like she was stumbling down a long black top road, not knowing what might jump out in front of her. Rispa’d started a chain reaction of events when she entered the shop yesterday. Okay, here was the damsel to rescue, now what? After hearing Rispa’s story, Onyx knew a battle was yet to come. Onyx was aware of their past lives together. She’d dreamt of this woman her entire life and knew Rispa was the one she’d been chasing for centuries, one lifetime after another. They would be born, find each other and end tragically at the hands of their enemy time and time again. I always have to rescue her. And here once again, it’s him. Do we have to do this every time?

Onyx returned to bed and snuggled beside the sleeping. Trying to fall asleep again, she realized she’d been waiting for Rispa by the water in her dream, but she never came. She wondered if she concentrated now, could she find Rispa in her reverie and take her back to the beginning where they first met all those centuries ago. Traveling back to that time might open Rispa’s eyes to the connection between them. When sleep overcame Onyx again she searched for Rispa through the dimensions of her dreams. She had a hunch as to where to find her. Rispa was still a lost soul adrift in this lifetime, so Onyx went to the one place she knew was a safe haven—the clearing in the woods.

Making her way through the trees Onyx saw Rispa sitting in the middle of the clearing, knees drawn to her chest. A dark shadow loomed over her, keeping her captive. She made her way toward Rispa as the shadow shrank back and disappeared. When they were in this dimension together, the smoky apparition was powerless.

Onyx moved like lightning to Rispa and placed a hand on her shoulder. She called Rispa by her first given name, “Katarina.”

Rispa looked over her shoulder to see Onyx standing behind her. She struggled to stand like she was trying to escape a puddle of molasses.

Facing one another, Onyx looked deep into Rispa’s soul through the windows of her eyes hoping for recognition.

When their eyes locked and their souls met, the trees around them and the ground beneath them faded away. The dimensions of the shared dream shifted as time unwound. The trees around them were replaced by buildings and the dirt beneath them turned into cobblestone streets.

The two found themselves in a dim alleyway. Onyx pushed Rispa against the crumbling exterior of a building. Rispa’s hands were pinned above her head, held tight in Onyx’s grip. Looking down, Rispa realized she was wearing a long burgundy velvet dress. As she wiggled beneath Onyx’s hold, she found it was hard to breathe. She felt the laces of the corset pressing into her back and how tight it cinched around her waist.

“Am I dreaming?” Rispa asked.

Onyx fed more of her weight to Rispa, putting her lips to her ear. “A dream you say?”

Rispa tried to move, but every time she did, Onyx pushed harder against her.

She felt Onyx’s breath in her ear again. It caused goose bumps to form on her arms. “Do you remember the very first time we met…Katarina?”

Struggling against Onyx’s vice-like grip, Rispa tried to free herself. It was no use. She was no match for Onyx’s strength. “What did you call me?”

“I called you Katarina. You must remember that name,” Onyx’s lips traced a kiss on her neck.

Rispa’s heart raced. Her pulse beat rampant. Warmth spread throughout her body causing her to feel her own blood coursing through every vein in her body. The mortar from the bricks pierced her skin through the soft fabric of her dress as Onyx ground her hips against her. Memories flooded Rispa’s mind. “Yes, I know who you are.”

Onyx repositioned Rispa’s wrists so she could hold them with one hand. She used her other to lift Rispa’s dress high enough to put her hand beneath it. Once her palm touched Rispa’s flesh, she moved it up, teasing.

Rispa moaned in pleasure. Onyx kissed the pulsating vein of Rispa’s neck and sucked the skin between her teeth.

Onyx’s mouth watered with anticipation, breathing in innocence and the metallic scent of blood. She moved her hand up Rispa’s thigh, pausing to press her thumb hard against the pulsating artery on the inside. She felt heat emanating from between Rispa’s legs. Tugging harder at the silky skin of her neck, Onyx suppressed the urge to rip her skin to shreds. Instead she quickened her rhythm, rocking her hips harder and faster against Rispa. As a scream escaped Rispa’s lips, Onyx slowed her pace, moving her hand upward to the moist folds of Rispa’s sex. She rubbed back and forth until Rispa was so drenched she could hear the slippery connection. With her thumb on Rispa’s clit, she pressed down hard, and slid her finger deep inside her channel. Onyx’s body responded as the crotch of her pants became soaked. Rispa clenched around Onyx’s fingers as they moved in perfect rhythm thrusting in and out. Their climaxes built as sweat beaded on their skin. It was a slow passionate heat rising from the core and spreading throughout every inch of their bodies. Energy glowed around the two, illuminating the darkness with bright blue light.

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Cozie is a true Southern Belle, born and raised in LA (Lower Alabama). She moved to Mississippi in 1992 to attend Belhaven College and decided to make the state her home. Today she is a full time paralegal, mother of three and has a crazy obsession with vampires and bats. She has two vampire and nineteen bat tattoos. Her fascination with the undead spilled over into her writing. She puts a new spin on the typical vampire in her book Blood & Roses which takes place in her favorite place to be…New Orleans. Writing this novel was not just a task, but a spiritual journey for Cozie. Much of this book is based on her personal experiences intricately weaved into her storyline and disguised as fiction.