A Drop of Magic by L.R. Braden Book Tour and Giveaway :)
A
Drop of Magic
The
Magicsmith Book 1
by
L.R. Braden
Genre:
Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
The
war isn’t over . . .
With
the world clinging to a fragile peace forced on the Fae by humanity
after the Faerie Wars, metalsmith Alex Blackwood is plunged into the
world of the half-fae who traffick in illegal magical artifacts. Her
best friend’s murder and his cryptic last message place her in the
crosshairs of a scheme to reignite the decade-old war between humans
and fae.
Worse,
violent attacks against her and the arrival of a fae knight on a
mission force Alex to face a devastating revelation of who
and what she is. To catch a killer, retrieve a
dangerous artifact, and stop a war, Alex will have to accept that
she’s an unregistered fae “halfer” with a unique magical
talent—a talent that would change everything she believes about her
past, her art, and her future.
Her
world is crumbling around her, and Alex will have to decide who to
trust if she and the world are going to survive.
“A
Drop of Magic is
a damned fun and original read, with sass, action, hot men, and a
whole lot of magic.” —Diana
Pharaoh Francis,
author of the Diamond
City Magic, Magicfall,
and Horngate
Witches series
METAL DUST CLUNG to the sweat on my
arms, glittering like shining scales. Even with the studio door
propped open behind me, the uncommonly warm October air did little to
temper the heat of the forge. A shower of sparks erupted as I plunged
the carbon steel rod back into the annealing embers and dragged an
arm across my forehead, taking care to avoid the bulky, blackened
welding glove. I’d probably still end up with sooty streaks
decorating my otherwise pale face. I always did. Lost in the beat of my old MP3 player,
I started belting out the lyrics of Robert DeLong’s Don’t Wait Up
as I prepared the next rod. Then a touch settled—light and
tentative—on my arm, and the bottom fell out of my stomach. Tongs clutched in one hand, hammer in
the other, I spun. “Whoa, whoa.” His lips formed the
words, though I couldn’t hear them over the music blaring through
my headphones. An inch shorter than I was, wearing
jeans and a polo shirt, I had no reason to think the man was anything
but human. But then, who could tell these days? He took a step back,
hands raised, either to show he meant no harm or to ward off the blow
he thought was coming. Behind him, near the open door, stood a
second man. He wore a rumpled brown suit that matched his hair and
eyes. Average height, average build, average looks. Nothing
remarkable about him. Moving to put the anvil between us, I
set the hammer down and pulled off my headphones, but kept a
white-knuckled grip on the tongs. The higher-than-average number of
violent crimes this summer had me on edge—along with everyone
else—though none of the violence had come so far as my neck of the
woods. It seemed unlikely a murderer would get my attention before
attacking, but my heart raced a mile a minute as I faced the
strangers. “Who are you?” The man nearest me lowered his arms.
“We announced ourselves, but it seems you didn’t hear.” I scowled at his attempt to put the
blame back on me. This was my studio, and they were uninvited guests. “My apologies.” This came from Mr.
Unremarkable. The monotone of his voice matched his appearance,
revealing nothing. “You may call me Smith. My associate is Neil. Am
I addressing Alyssandra Blackwood?” A muscle under my right eye twitched.
Most people only knew me as Alex. Alyssandra hadn’t existed
anywhere but legal documents since I was twelve and traded the name
in for something stronger, more practical. “We’ve come to purchase an item
from you, an engraved silver box.” My shoulders dropped as the tension in
them eased a little. Customers didn’t often stop by the studio
unannounced, but it wasn’t unheard of. People sometimes got my
address from the Souled Art Gallery in Boulder where I showed my work, or
from previous customers, and came to commission pieces. Most were
courteous enough to call ahead. “I’m booked on orders right now. I
could maybe get to it next month.” “You misunderstand. We are looking
for an object already in your possession.” “Oh. Well, sorry to disappoint, but I
don’t have an item like that in stock.” “We know the box came your way. If
you hand it over, we can make it worth your while.” Neil had the
slick, sleazy tone of a used car salesman. Curious though I was about
this box, and why they thought I had it, I’d had enough of the
conversation. Even if they weren’t killers, they gave me the
creeps. I shook my head. “You were misinformed.” “Ms. Blackwood,” Smith said. “Be
reasonable. We’re willing to pay handsomely, and considering the
other parties involved, you’re not likely to get a better offer.
Surely it isn’t worth the risk?” My breath caught as the thinly veiled
threat hit me like a punch in the gut. “You need to leave, now.” My voice
trembled slightly. The studio only had one door, and they were
between it and me. I was trapped. Shifting my stance, I tightened my
grip on the tongs, willing them not to shake. Smith raised his hands in a placating
manner. “I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. You might
not even realize you have the item we seek. It would look quite
common, like a jewelry box.” “I told you, I haven’t got anything
like that. Now get out of here before I call the cops.” It was a
bluff, of course, I’d left my cell phone in the house. Even if I
could call, the police would never arrive in time to help. That was
the downside of living so far from town. I was on my own. “Enough of this.” Neil stepped
around the anvil and reached for my arm. Time slowed. I didn’t like to fight, I avoided
confrontations when I could, but if he thought I was going to roll
over, he was wrong. With a guttural howl, I twisted my wrist out of
Neil’s grip and swung the tongs into his face. His skin split apart
like newspaper peeling back from a fire, scorched black and crinkled
around the edges. An unearthly shriek filled the studio, and I
stumbled back, shocked at the damage I’d done. Neil shimmered and seemed to melt. His
skin became transparent, and a network of blue veins crawled beneath
its surface. His nose spread and sank into his face, leaving two
flared slits. Below that, the mouth emitting that horrible sound
elongated until the gaping, needle-lined hole grew so large I could
have put my whole fist in without scraping my knuckles. When he
reached up to cover his face, his fingers had nearly doubled in
length, the webbing between them connecting all the way to the tips.
His fingernails stretched and thickened to claws. The creature before
me was straight out of a horror movie, and I added my own scream to
the cacophony. Wielding my tongs like a baseball bat,
I backed away from the writhing shape which had been the man Neil
seconds before. Even at the best of times, my stomach cramped when
someone mentioned the fae. Seeing one in the flesh was like
having a bucket of ice water dumped on my head. I shivered from head
to toe, and fought the urge to throw up. Smith crossed the space between himself
and Neil in two steps and pulled Neil’s arms down to expose the
hideous gash burned across his cheek. My stomach lurched at what I’d
done. White glinted where bone showed beneath charred flesh. The eye
above had swelled shut and was rapidly turning a sickly greenish
color. Smith placed one palm against Neil’s forehead, and the
horrible wail abruptly cut off as Neil sagged in Smith’s arms. “It seems we were mistaken.” Smith
spoke as he had before, without inflection or emotion. Nothing to
show surprise or concern that he was holding an unconscious, injured
faerie in his arms. “Good day, Ms. Blackwood.” My mind went blank as I fumbled for
words. Smith took my stupefied silence in
stride. Hefting Neil without visible effort, he gave a small parting
nod and carried his companion out of the studio. I remained where I was until the sound
of car doors closing and the crunch of gravel told me I was alone.
Then, still clutching my tongs, I inched to the door and took a deep
breath of the outside air. The driveway was empty, no cars in sight.
No faerie goons either. My knees gave out under the weight of the
panic I’d been keeping in check, and I sank to the ground, tongs
still clutched in my shaking hands. The tea I’d had for breakfast
felt like acid in my stomach, threatening to come back up. A gray tabby with yellow-green eyes
peeked around the corner of the shed with a questioning, “Meow?”
Cat had appeared on my doorstep a few months back, begging for
scraps, and I’d made the mistake of giving him some. He’d come
around every day since. Despite the fact he’d already stuck around
longer than most of the guys in my life, I’d steadfastly refused to
name him. “Fat lot of good you were.” Lifting his nose, Cat swished his tail
and stalked away. It was silly to take my anxiety out on
Cat, but it was easier than dealing with the panic and adrenaline
threatening to overwhelm me. Anything to distract from the flesh
seared to the tongs in my shaking hands. I couldn’t imagine forging more, so
with a wary eye on the door I dampened the coals and stored my tools,
each in its marked place on my pegboard. The gooey tongs went on a
shelf, I’d throw them in an acid bath later.
Born and raised in
Colorado, L. R. BRADEN makes her home in the foothills of the Rocky
Mountains with her wonderful husband, precocious daughter, and
psychotic cat. With degrees in both English literature and
metalsmithing, she splits her time between writing and art. A
Drop of Magic is her first novel.
What are some of your
pet peeves?
It drives me bonkers when people
explain things really slowly, or repeat simple concepts over
and over like I might not understand.
Where were you
born/grew up at?
I’ve lived in Colorado my whole life.
What kind of world
ruler would you be?
A reluctant one. The idea of having
that many people relying on me to make life-affecting decisions makes
me sick to my stomach.
What are you passionate
about these days?
I’m a big believer in equal HUMAN
rights, meaning everyone, regardless of gender, race, sexual
preference, age, religion, country of origin, or any other
distinguishing factors you can pin on a person.
I’m a fan of renewable energy and
finding alternate power sources that help reduce our dependence on
fossil fuels. I recently took a trip to Alaska where I saw the
effects of global warming on glaciers first-hand.
Since becoming a parent, I’m pretty
passionate about the quality of early education, literacy, and
student support.
What do you do to
unwind and relax?
If I’m relaxing on my own, I read or
play video games. If my family is with me, we go for hikes, play
board games, or watch movies.
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the tour HERE
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