Okay, Okay. I know that I had originally said that Whispering Evil would be available in June, but you know me. I couldn’t let it go until I knew it was right. Final proofing is going on now and the book should be available mid July.
To make amends, here’s a sneak peek at the cover. Thanks for your patience. I’ll post the exact launch date soon.
To kick off the summer reading season, enjoy this new sneak peek at Whispering Evil (Midnight Guardian Series, Book 2) which goes on sale mid June.
Her father was right. These were dangerous times and because of that, Keira had made carrying a weapon a habit. She carefully reached down to her ankle sheath. She loosened her dagger and held it in her right hand, partially hiding it under her sleeve.
She took one cautious step. Nothing. So, she took another and another until she was at the entrance to the alley. She still couldn’t see anything. It was completely dark. The buildings closed out what little light the moon was trying to provide.
“Is someone there?” she yelled.
Nothing. She took a few steps into the alley. Movement beside a dumpster nearly twenty feet away caught her attention.
She tried again. “Insane killer, come out, come out wherever you are.”
Still no response.
She rounded upon the dumpster. There was nothing behind it but a few stray newspaper pages. With one hand, she carefully lifted the lid. It had recently been dumped and was empty except for a lone, sealed trash bag. The lingering stench was so bad, she found it hard to believe that anyone would want to hide there anyway. She let go of the cover with a thud that echoed through the alley.
Satisfied she tucked her dagger into the waistband of her jeans and pulled her hoodie over it. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. She hurried out of the alley and turned back onto the sidewalk.
“Yaahhggg!” came a voice from behind her.
With lightning reflexes, Keira turned and gripped it by the neck. No…not it’s neck, his neck. Before thinking, she lifted her would-be assailant off the ground with a single hand.
He choked and gasped as she held him at arm’s length. He kicked at her. Just as her mind caught up with her reaction, he got in a lucky shot to her stomach. She let go as she fell. He dropped to the ground.
He had knocked the breath out of her. “Ju…Ju…,” she huffed. She crawled over to where her friend, Jumper, lay unconscious on the sidewalk. Everything was blurry. She rubbed her eyes hard, over and over, trying to clear them enough to see through the uncontrolled tears. She touched his chest, but her hand was shaking so badly that she couldn’t tell if he was breathing. She reached for his neck again, this time to check for a pulse.
Book 1, Of Sun & Moon, is now available in paperback and ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Apple iBooks, Sony eReader Store and more.
Last Friday, I had the honor of being a host for the annual Gallia Charity Dodgeball Tournament to benefit the local American Cancer Society Relay for Life. It’s a double elimination tournament for adults only, and it’s a good thing, because those six balls go by fast and hard (no dirty joke intended).
As I sat at the announcer’s table in the bleachers, I started thinking about the game. It’s no wonder this game started in elementary schools. It teaches so many life lessons. It occurred to me that things that are true for dodgeball are also true for life in general. So just for fun, consider the following:
Hope you enjoyed my list. If you think of any more, be sure to add them in the comments.
As I began to write this post, the clock struck exactly sixteen minutes after midnight. The house is completely quiet. There is a huge storm outside and I’m curled up on the couch watching Twilight for the millionth time. It occurred to me that this is probably every paranormal junkie’s idea of the perfect evening.
Anyway, I’ve been hard at work on finishing out Book 2 in the Midnight Guardian Series. The title will be Whispering Evil. Looks like release will be in mid to late June.
Of Sun & Moon ended with Nana’s birthday party. Whispering Evil starts a few weeks after when Nana departs and leaves Keira in the care of her parents. There are a couple of new characters: a handsome, young guardian named Arden Wright and Keira’s grandfather and guardian elder, Kendric Ryan. We also get a look at Elsted, the guardian village located high in the mountains above the banished city.
Empress Broo takes control and Keira gets impatient (no surprise). Ann and Katie get some time traveling in. Team William and Team Colby fans will have more to argue about. And Jumper…well, he’s just as awesome as ever.
I’ve received several requests recently for the entire list of places where you can purchase Of Sun & Moon, so here it is. Below are direct links. When looking for it, I’ve found that you can find it much easier by searching for me as the author, Bryna Butler. Apparently there are dozens of books with “sun” and “moon” in the title.
Paperback: Amazon | Barnes & Noble Online | Createspace
eBook: Amazon Kindle | B&N Nook | Apple iBook* | Smashwords | Diesel | Coming soon to Kobo/Borders
Check out Scarlet Kira’s Of Sun & Moon review and her interview with me on Books for the Insomniac.
As always, thank you for your support of independent authors like me.
*Sorry, no direct link, search for it in the iBooks store
In electronic media, we all know what Easter Eggs are…those hidden gems among our favorite video games, videos, and the like. Well, it just so happens that there are Easter Eggs in Of Sun & Moon and in the spirit of the upcoming Easter holiday, I wanted to share a few of them with you.
ACH – Drew’s initials that were embroidered on his baby blanket are also the initials commonly used for an electronic banking transaction, a nod to my day job.
Mrs. Bethany – Named for my sister Bethany who is also an educator. However, the real Bethany tells me that she never would have let Colby leave study hall.
Two boys – The two boys that almost knock over Keira at Nana’s birthday party BBQ are inspired by my two little boys.
Bianca Ryan – As a little girl, my favorite movie was The Rescuers, a cartoon adventure with mice. The heroine was a sophisticated girl mouse named Bianca.
Nana’s vanity mirror – My sarcasm was at work with this one. In most fairy tales, the mirror is important and holds great power. It’s not by accident that in this story, it just gets shoved.
Halloween – Keira dressed as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and William dressed as a vampire. William has dark hair. Yes, he was Angel.
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!
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Of Sun & Moon now available on Apple iBooks
