Woo, look at that cover - red hair, attitude, that strong red background - is that an eye grabber or what? Between the cover and the blurb, I knew I wanted to be part of this tour. I also have the book on my wish list. I requested it to review but was turned down; eventually I'll get my hands on a copy and read it.
After a misspent adulthood pursuing a Music Education degree, Jamie Wyman fostered several interests before discovering that being an author means never having to get out of pajamas. (However, she can eat/spin fire, tell you a lot about auditioning to be a Blue Man, and read/write in Circular Gallifreyan.) As an author, Jamie’s favorite playgrounds are urban fantasy, horror and creepy carnival settings. When she’s not traipsing about with her imaginary friends, she lives in Phoenix with two hobbits and two cats. She is proud to say she has a deeply disturbed following at her blog.
Jamie’s debut novel, "WILD CARD", was released this week, thanks to Entangled Publishing. You can also find her short story “The Clever One” in the anthology WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME 2 (Dragon Moon Press, August ’13).
Find Jamie Online:
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When you asked for a guest post
telling the story of a poker game among trickster gods, I knew I had just the
piece for you. When I was first toying around with the ideas that eventually
became WILD CARD, I decided to do a “proof of concept” story. Just a bit of
flash fiction to see if this idea of Gods Playing Poker had legs. What follows
is that story. Now, the characters have changed from this to the finished book
that’s on shelves today. For example, this story has no hints of Catherine
Sharp or Marius—a fact he hasn’t let me forget. Also, the relationships between
the gods are different, as is E’s personality. Some things are the same, some
are different, but that’s what makes this story so special to me. This is the
seed that became what (I think) is a pretty rock awesome story in WILD CARD.
I hope you and your readers enjoy this and the book itself. Thank you so much for your time and sharing your blog with me. I really appreciate it.
I hope you and your readers enjoy this and the book itself. Thank you so much for your time and sharing your blog with me. I really appreciate it.
-j.
Ante Up
By Jamie Wyman
You don’t fuck with my poker night. I don’t care if your house
is burning down or if you’re being chased by a rabid horde of Girl Scouts
selling Thin Mints. You save me a box and come back tomorrow. So when someone
insistently rang my doorbell one drizzly Thursday night, you could say I was
surprised.
“Someone better
need a goddamn kidney,” I snarled as I ripped open the door.
Standing there, a mess of runny mascara and snot, was my friend
Penelope. Her mouse-brown hair pulled at her grief-stricken face to the point
she looked like a pathetic clown. I almost felt bad for being inhospitable.
Almost.
Her lips quivered and her voice came out in a thick bubble. “He
left me and I have no where else to go.”
Before I could respond she charged through the door, her tale
spewing out of her. The torrent of her sadness escalated into an unintelligible
mixture of hiccups and squeaks that only dolphins could interpret. When her
emotions seemed ready to go Chernobyl, I threw a few pretzel sticks at her.
“Pen, focus!” I barked.
She blinked in astonishment. I won’t say that the sun came out
and she was miraculously cheerful, but behind her eyes, a new awareness came to
life. She looked around as if just now realizing where she was. Her eyes
drifted over my living room and then fell on the faces of my poker buddies. All
three of them stared with the keen interest.
“Shit, E!” Penelope said. “I forgot it’s Thursday.” She stood up
and pulled her purse over her shoulder. “I’ll just go.”
If I’d lit a fire under their asses those punks wouldn’t have
moved faster. In an instant the three guys were on their feet and stammering
over themselves to get her to stay. Even the old Indian—sorry, Native
American—seemed to teleport to Penelope’s side.
It’s bad news when these guys smell blood in the water.
“No,” I said flatly. “Each of you step the hell back. Besides,
we’ve got a game to play, remember?”
The old Indian’s worn leather voice rumbled in a deceptively
soothing baritone. “Now, now. The girl is obviously in pain and should not be
alone. She can join our table.”
And just like that, the vultures ushered her to the table and
sat her down in the chair opposite mine.
“Seat’s taken,” I said, trying to remind my friends why they
were here.
Loki, blonde and broad, grinned. “Just got a call from Puck. He
is unable to make it this evening and sends his apologies.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Really?”
“Cross my heart. Accidents happen I suppose.”
I looked back to find Penelope caught between two wenchers. The
old Indian poured a few fingers of his whiskey and passed her the glass. The
Hawaiian with the sun in his smile, stroked her hair.
I folded my arms over my chest, scowling at the three of
them. At my table. On my poker night.
Over my shoulder, Loki whispered, “Jealousy has never looked
good on you, you know?”
It’s true that I’ve always envied Penelope. She is petite and
soft and young whereas I’m lanky, lean and I can’t get my dark hair to do a
damn thing in this humidity. Penelope’s life is all in order. She knows who she
is and what she wants. Perhaps that’s what drew me to her.
I threw a weak fist into the smug bastard’s stomach and took my
seat at the table. The spark-hiss of my Zippo called the happy little trio back
from their flirtations. I took my time lighting the cigar, enjoying the feeling
of being the center of the world.
“Penelope, I’d like to introduce Loki, Cy and Maui. Guys, this
is Penelope and she’s got a fiancé to go home to.”
Maui folded a dark hand over Pen’s. “She said he put her aside.
Wasteful, if you ask me. Unappreciative, too,” he said flashing his teeth. I’d
seen him work this mojo before. Maui’s dark eyes held the girl’s attention.
“Tell me,” he said, “have you ever been to Hawaii?”
Smoke plumed out of my nostrils with the flare of my temper.
“Enough,” I said. “Penelope, why don’t you go take a nice long bath in my room.
Light a few candles, put on some soothing music. You’ll feel better.”
I saw Cy’s eyes gleam like a dog hoping for bacon.
I pointed the fire of my cigar right at the Indian. “No.”
“A bath sounds really good,” Penelope said. She pushed away from
the table. “Um, E, I’m really sorry to intrude like this, but do you think I
can crash here tonight?”
I nodded. “Of course. You can borrow some pj’s from my closet
and tomorrow we’ll go back over to your place and see if we can’t talk some
sense into that idiot of yours.”
Relief flooded out of her and so help me she looked even
prettier. How do some women manage to be a sobbing mess and still lovely?
Bitches, all of them. She held their attentions as she glided over to my side
and placed a grateful kiss on my forehead.
“Thanks, E. You’re my lucky charm.”
“Don’t mention it,” I said around my cigar.
I started dealing out the first hand.
When the door to my bedroom clicked shut, Loki cleared his
throat. “Lucky charm? Eris, have you been honest with the girl?”
I snorted. “I never said I was good luck.”
Loki tapped his nose. “Touche.”
Chuckling, Coyote refilled his glass. “Shame. She seems such a
nice girl.”
“A nice girl with poor taste in friends,” Maui said.
I sneered. “Thief.”
“Jealous hag.”
“ Maui, so help me, I will own you by the end of the night.”
The Hawaiian produced one of my golden apples and took a loud,
wet bite. “Wanna bet?”
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Blurb from the author ~
It was bad enough that gods gambled with human souls, but Catherine Sharp’s soul just had to be won by the Greek goddess of Discord, Eris. As if working a dead-end tech support job didn’t suck the life out of her as it was. Now, Cat finds herself performing random tasks for the goddess in her free time.
But when Coyote, the Native American trickster himself, claims to have won her own soul in Mayhem's weekly poker game, Cat wants in on the action. With five sneaky gods upping the ante, Cat needs to find a way to collect the winning chips that could save her soul.
Marius, a handsome yet irritating satyr with his own debt to Eris, might finally come in handy for something. If they play their cards right and work together, Cat and Marius may just get their freedom back. If they don't kill each other or fall in love first.
Publisher: Entangled
Format: ebook
Release Date: November 25, 2013
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TourWide Giveaway
Giveaway Info:
ThinkGeek Gift Card. Please read my Giveaway Policy.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Follow the tour:
11/25: Guest blog - Literal Hotties Naughty Book Reviews
11/26: Guest blog - Romantic Reads and Such
11/26: Spotlight - Sizzling Hot Book Reviews
11/27: Interview - Lusty Penguin Reviews
11/28: Interview - A Passion for Romance
11/29: Guest Blog - Bea's Book Nook
12/3: Interview - You Gotta Read Reviews
12/4: Spotlight - In
Shadows
12/5: Spotlight - Becky on Books
12/6: Spotlight - Melissa Stevens
12/9: Interview - Books-n-Kisses
12/10: Spotlight - Must Read Faster
12/11: Spotlight - Book Reviews and More by Kathy
12/12: Interview - Diane’s Book Blog
12/12: Spotlight - Snifferwalk Books
12/13: Spotlight - My Erotic Notions
12/13: Spotlight - Books to Get Lost In
Thanks for the chance to win!
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