Glamour & Shadows - Glamour & Shadows Book 1 by Robert Hazelton Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Glamour & Shadows
Glamour
& Shadows Book 1
by
Robert Hazelton
Genre:
Urban Fantasy
260
pages
From
the Author of Drown the Heart and Creative Spark, this is where the
Society stories all begin with a dimming of the lights.
Monsters
Exist
Only
the Society keeps humanity blissfully ignorant of the dangers that
lurk within every shadow.
Incubus
Detective Algiers Stanton and his fairy partner Ophelia Dupre have
been working together for quite a while. One serious, one not so
much, they make a perfect team; complementing each other even as one
grates on the other's nerves.
When
they're called upon to investigate a grisly murder thought to be
committed by a shapeshifter, it looks like a routine case of clean &
close, everyone happy. But the complications of a millennia old
organization refuse to go quietly under the rug and when the past
rises up to shake the very pillars of the Society, the two
detective's lives may change forever in the process.
The
shadows await!
Nightlife Interrupted
Glamour
& Shadows Book 2
221
pages
From
the Author of Glamour & Shadows, Drown the Heart and Creative
Spark comes a vampire story with heart, soul and a twenty-sided
die.
Roll
for Initiative
Vinny
Presaro has it made. A newly created vampire, he owns the hottest
game store in town, wiling away his nights with role playing and
graphic novels. His life would be idyllic if not for his terrible
luck with romance and the vivid, disturbing dreams he has every
couple weeks. They seemed like mere fantasy so he did his best to
write them off (the dreams, sure but also the chances of being near a
woman without her nervously eyeing the door).
His
latest nightmare came in the form of an apocalyptic scene complete
with rivers of blood, pieces of people and a demonic girl dancing
amongst the carnage. When she comes walking into the store, he’s
faced with the possibility that he could be having premonitions and
not a chemical reaction to bottled blood.
Vinny
reaches out to investigator Ophelia Dupre to help him understand his
revelation. Unfortunately, she has some trouble with Vampires so
their working relationship is strained to say the least. Armed with
pop culture references, preconceived notions and a couple big guns,
these two very well may be the only thing standing between the world
and the end of days.
We
might be in trouble
The Hermes Foundation
Glamour
& Shadows Book 3
258
pages
From
the Author of Glamour & Shadows and Nightlife Interrupted comes
the third book set in the world of the Society.
Magic
is Real
Lillian
Bowan has seen a lot. A former war correspondent turned struggling
journalist, she has been searching for the one story which will
satisfy her ambition, to be part of something meaningful. When she
rushed down for a coveted TV spot covering a gas main explosion, she
never dreamed it would put her on a dangerous path of
discovery.
Nicolas
Chabrier lives in a world of demons and mysticism, where vampires are
real and shape shifters stalk the night. An independent wizard
trained by an esoteric group outside the bounds of reality, he tries
to keep a low profile out of the supernatural spotlight. When he
saves Lillian from a demonic incursion and tries to erase her memory,
he finds something far more insidious than a random invasion.
But
not always wondrous
***From The Hermes Foundation***
Lilly was on a mission. She flashed her ID card to the front desk security without sparing them a glance and slapped the button to summon the elevator. Frustrated rage made her twitchy but she refused to pace, instead remaining perfectly still with her eyes fixed on the elevator’s progress.
“Good morning, Miss Bowan.” One of the new interns came up alongside her. “You’re looking particularly sharp today.”
“Thanks.” Lilly kept her tone even and neutral. She specifically picked her black pinstripe suit to make a statement, a corporate power look to remind her boss she was ambitious. Opportunities were hard to come by and she was not one to squander them.
“I loved the piece you wrote on...on the no kill animal shelters. You had a lot of great points, good research.”
Lilly looked at the younger man who couldn’t have been out of college more than a few months. His blond hair was cropped so close to his head at first glance he appeared to be bald. Pale skin was still plagued by the lingering effects of youthful acne and he was soft spoken, shy. She found her mood lightened by his eagerness.
“What was your name again?” Lilly asked.
“Mark...Mark Sanders. We only met once when I first started last month...I’ve been working with Tammy?”
“Oh, she’s a good choice,” Lilly replied. She had to nurse her indignity. Mark reminded her of herself when she first got started which was a good memory. Still, she couldn’t be soft on the editor. “She covered those riots a couple years back. Ask her how she survived. It might come in handy.”
The elevator arrived and they both piled on, tapping the eighth floor. Mark spoke quickly.
“I understand you did some war correspondence in the Middle East.”
“Yeah, I was there for nine months.”
“Your articles focused on the action. Were you embedded?”
“With a supply unit traveling around the region. The routes were supposed to be safe but we were ambushed twice.”
“So you actually saw combat?”
“From the ground outside of a jeep watching as the soldiers fended off the insurgents.” Lilly glanced at her watch, mostly to express her impatience. “And before you ask, yeah it was scary as hell.”
“I can’t imagine it...”
“I wouldn’t recommend it to my worst enemy,” Lilly said just as the doors opened. “But then, most people don’t take advice. It was an enlightening experience, that’s about all I can say.”
“I’ll bet.” Mark stepped off the elevator after her. “It was very nice to meet you, Miss Bowan.”
“Likewise, Mark. Have a good day.”
Lilly made straight for the editors office, picking back up the rage she lost while talking on the elevator. The man was alone and not on the phone which made her feel a little better. At least she wouldn’t look like a rude bitch when she burst in to say her piece.
Gary Hearsh was good at his job and he had probably taken his fair share of rants from reporters. When she threw open his door without a knock and slammed it shut, he didn’t even have the courtesy to act startled. He looked up with a languid expression, his eyes challenging her to bring him something new.
“I can’t believe you let channel six drop my segment!”
“Good morning to you too.”
“This isn’t funny, Gary!” Lilly leaned over and tapped his desk. “I was counting on that break! It was big news and I risked my life. How could they give it to some other reporter? That jerk wasn’t even on the scene?”
“They weren’t interested in an on the ground perspective. A gas main exploded. What more do you want? It’s not rocket science.”
“I was in the thick of it with rocks falling out of the sky and fire burning everywhere...I could’ve been blown up!”
“But you weren’t.” He paused. “Though I suppose if you had been, it would’ve been bigger news.”
Lilly scowled. “I suppose you think you’re funny.”
“A little bit, yes.”
“It’s not!” Lilly turned away with an exasperated grunt. “I thought you’d stand up for us here and help out! I’m sick of doing menial work. You know, I was taken more seriously five years ago when I was hip deep in wartime stories.”
“People were interested in that back then and what have you done since?”
“Exactly! You’ve got me covering boring local kitsch. I’m not a color commentator, I’m a journalist and I expect to report on real issues!”
“I’ve given you important assignments,” Gary said, shrugging his shoulders. “You didn’t think the financial conference was a good step?”
“No, it was crap! I want in on something with some action. I want to talk to politicians or investigate medical policies...I want to work on a conspiracy. I want something with meat to it.”
“I can appreciate you’re hungry-”
Lilly rolled her eyes. “Cute.”
“-But...I expect you to behave like a professional. I know how you were taught in school because I helped come up with the curriculum. You don’t always cover the stories you want to. Sometimes, you have to write drivel for the masses. I throw you bones, just like this gas main thing. It’s not our fault if Channel six changed their minds.”
“But they own both papers! How could they decide to screw me when I work for them?”
“First off, it would be a hard sell to say they screwed you. You were out there, yes but nearly getting killed doesn’t mean you had a profoundly unique perspective to provide. Secondly, they do whatever they want and they want whatever is cheapest. The lady they got is younger than you are and half as talented. Do you feel better?”
“I’m supposed to be happy they’re patronizing me?”
“You can’t be sensitive and survive in our field, Lilly. You just can’t.” Gary leaned back in his chair. “You have to take the shit jobs and the great ones...and if one falls through, always have a backup plan. Channel six will come around again and since you were so keen to get in there fast, you’ll be at the top of the list. Until then, you know what to do.
“Your assignments are on your desk.”
“That’s fantastic. I can’t even believe this! It’s unfair!”
“Perfect. I can see the headline now.” Gary held up his hands as if framing the title. “Life is unfair, especially for journalists.”
“And now you’re mocking me.”
“Did you expect sympathy?”
“I suppose not...”
“And you’re done venting?”
“For now.”
“Good, then can we get back to work. Maybe we can try me being the boss and you the reporter. What do you think?”
Lilly rolled her eyes. “Is it in the editor job description to be a sarcastic ass?”
“Right up there with six years of college but they omitted having to put up with whiney writers. Go on now, get back to work.”
Gary hired Lilly after she got back from the Middle East. Her time there earned her the credibility to land a job at Modern Affairs, a magazine with a decent circulation and respected enough to be read in several states. Her work spanned from the marginally important to the outright silly but she needed the experience.
Part of her felt entitled to better. She had been through a lot to prove she was serious so having to interview a local novelty store owner or cover a farmer’s market attraction was insulting. The gas main situation wasn’t a big break but it sure as hell would’ve gotten her face and name out to a larger audience.
Maybe I should get back to freelancing...there’s bound to be some trouble somewhere.
The dossiers on her desk were the traditional drivel of Modern Affairs. The name was a red flag when she accepted the position but after reading through several back issues, she realized Gary tried to balance the frivolous with the meaningful. She was hoping her track record would speak to which side she cared about.
When she started the job, it became clear everyone tried their hand at all the stories. Diversity was fun for a while but her passion for the news made it hard. She wanted big breaks and insider scoops, to expose things corporations tried to keep secret and bust shady deals.
One of her professors spent an ungodly amount of time urging his students to be crusaders with a pen. Never let up until you find the truth, no matter how raw it might be. That was his credo. Lilly believed there were limits to everything, including the truth. She defined integrity as knowing when to expose something, not just blindly running around with a spotlight to cast on people’s dirty laundry.
A wave of nausea hit her hard and she reeled, closing her eyes tightly and leaning forward. By the time it passed a couple people were staring at her and she offered a wan smile. “I’m okay,” she assured, mostly herself rather than them. “I think I might be a little shaken still by what happened yesterday.”
The explanation placated her neighbors and they began to commiserate with her, commenting about how awful it must have been. They flouted her bravery and a couple of them agreed they never would’ve gone into such a crazy situation. She’d heard it all before only the war stuff had some kind of meaning. A gas main blowing up was totally random.
The shock of it probably knocked her body into a premature period. That would explain the dizziness.
Lovely…just lovely.
Lilly forced herself to stand up, ignoring the pain in her gut and the vertigo making her head swim. Her heels made the trip all the more treacherous. Fortunately, every step made her feel a little better, a little more herself. By the time she stepped into the lady’s room, she felt almost normal.
The Midnight Turn
Glamour
& Shadows Book 4
202
pages
Hollywood
beckons!
Genevieve
St. Claire’s novel The Midnight Turn became a big hit when it was
initially released. Her meteoric ride to genre fame brought her to
various conventions, talk shows and workshops across the country.
When a movie producer decides to option the book for a big budget
movie, her head spins with the possibilities, especially since she
can’t claim the rights to her first book, a well-known horror novel
published in 1818…
Gen’s
second dive into literature was inspired by her vampire creator,
Christian Lark, an unpredictable and romantic figure she’s polished
into something a modern audience can tolerate. Enter the proposed
leading man, Jacob Moran, wizard and descendant of the Lark line. His
semblance is uncanny, his youth intoxicating but there’s also Allan
Taylor, the handsome screenwriter hired to adapt the book.
With
half a dozen lives intermingling amidst the chaos of film production,
The Midnight Turn explores a human experience through the eyes of the
supernatural.
Enjoy
the show!
Dark Side of the Vale
Glamour
& Shadows Book 5
295
pages
A
Messy Crime
A
seemingly normal family is murdered, their home turned into a
horrifying scene of torture and chaos. Their deaths follow a pattern,
an extreme version of three serial killers terrorizing the country.
The Society steps in to explore any supernatural angle the case may
present and begin to work with Special Agent Rebecca Marsh of a newly
formed FBI group code named The Park. Versed in all manner of
paranormal creatures, she is to act as an ambassador to ensure humans
and monsters can work together.
Such
a dramatic change comes as quite the shock to Incubus detective
Algiers Stanton and his fairy partner Ophelia Dupre. They land the
case and the task of playing politics with their new human colleague.
After spending years ensuring humans never learn about them, this
goes against everything they know but they’ll need all the help
they can get to stop the murderers before they strike again. For
these fiends are not merely ending lives, they are collecting
ingredients for a sinister plan, one which may destroy the world as
we know it.
The
Detectives Have Returned
Fairy Tale Ending
Glamour
& Shadows Book 6
214
pages
Desperation
Breeds Obedience
Renard
Martin lives a simple life. As a hitman for a Society bigwig, he
takes on targets the former Cleaners used to handle. As a graduate of
the infamous Lark sanctum, he’s a dangerous and irreverent person
who has no desire to remain beholden to anyone. After his family was
brutally murdered, he thought he lost them all but then he heard a
rumor. His sister Victoria may still be alive and the vampire Marius
Sontag promised to help him find her…for the price of becoming an
assassin.
Belia
Dellacroix never got to live for herself. The ward of an ancient
vampire, every event of her existence has been carefully planned,
governed and censored. This has not left her without guile, however
and once she discovered the grim fate her guardian had in store for
her, she took drastic action. Stepping out means incredible risk and
so she turns to the only person she can in her carefully designed
world: a certain Society hitman looking for something dear to
him.
But
will Renard prove too unpredictable and harsh for her needs? Holding
leverage over his head might well be the most dangerous thing she’s
ever done but desperate times call for desperate measures. Without
him, she’ll be an unwilling sacrifice, killed for a chance to claim
ancient power but if she can keep her protector on track and under
control, she may just get the fairy tale ending she’s always hoped
for.
The Lark Legacy
A
Prequel to The Hermes Foundation
Glamour
& Shadows Book 7
Without
Direction
Ruby
Lark comes from a long line of curious and reckless wizards. Her
father, Henry Lark, runs a strict sanctum where students are taught
through a brutal curriculum of harsh consequences and cruelty. He
seems to have some nebulous purpose for her in mind but his
dispassion and formality have kept them apart, master and student
instead of parent and child. With no friends, no recourse and no
sanctuary, she steeled herself for a life of service to a cause she
would probably never understand.
Mortimer
Dampton started at the Lark Sanctum at the end of his education. A
brash, charming wizard, he comes with a wealth of necromantic
knowledge. Henry assigns him to partner with Ruby, who instantly
takes a dislike to his overly familiar, roguish personality. But he
may just hold the key to her salvation, even as he begins to defy the
edicts of her father, sending them both on a course to their
fates.
Without
Limits
Robert Hazelton has been writing short fiction, novels and music his entire life. As the founding member of Deadly Nightshade Botanical Society and a long time member of the band Abney Park, he has traveled extensively and performed countless shows in exotic locales.
Robert
writes in a variety of genres but keeps drifting back to modern
fantasy/horror. He considers Elizabeth Moon, Frank Herbert, and
Steven Pressfield to be his biggest influences.
Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
Congrats on the tour and I appreciate the excerpt and the great giveaway as well. Love the tours, I get to find books and share with my sisters the ones I know they would enjoy reading and they both love to read. Thank you!
ReplyDelete