Genre: Paranormal
Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Date of
Publication: July 30th, 2013
ISBN:
978-1-61921-748-5
Word Count: 98,000
Cover Artist: Kanax
Book Description:
Love blooms across
species, culture, and time.
Chronicles of
Eorthe, Book 1
Stranded in another
dimension, on a primitive version of Earth, Dr. Susan Barlow needs to find a
way to survive. There’s no electricity, no cities, and to her shock, no humans.
Instead, she faces a population of werewolves, vampires and incubi. The people
are vicious but she must find her place among them. And live.
An illness is
killing Sorin’s pack. As alpha it’s his responsibility to save them, but it’s a
battle this warrior doesn’t know how to fight. Then a blue light in the sky
brings a creature he’s never seen. She calls herself human, but to him she
smells like hope.
Sorin offers Susan
a safe haven in return for a cure, but she’s not that kind of a doctor. She’s a
doctor of physics, not a physician. Yet as they search for a cure to save a
dying people, they find something special—each other.
But even with
Sorin’s protection, Susan can’t help but wonder how long she can survive in a
world without humans…
Excerpt:
Before Susan could explain anything about
dimensions and gateways, the door to Kele’s chamber crashed open, and Susan
jumped to the balls of her feet, prepared—to what, fight? Was she nuts?
A female blocked the entrance, her muscular
physique hinting at enough strength to twist Susan into a pretzel without
breaking a sweat. The newcomer flung her black hair over her shoulder.
Rising with grace, Kele straightened her dress
before addressing the intruder. “Mother.”
“Daughter, I heard you’ve brought home a stray
along with the Apisi alpha.” The female’s stare drilled into Susan, her sneer
far from welcoming.
Susan’s breath caught in her throat. Black,
soulless eyes ate her gaze. Her fingers clutched the lapels of her jacket as
she pulled it closed. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and offered her
hand. “I’m Dr. Susan Barlow.”
The female shifter narrowed her eyes, nostrils
flaring.
Susan withdrew her untouched hand, then hid it
behind her back and glanced at Kele. Maybe she should have sniffed her mother
instead? She wished someone would give her the Dummies Guide to Shifter Society
and a little time to study it.
Kele’s mother crossed the room in two great
strides and swung her arm.
Susan did her best impression of a statue. She
didn’t budge as the impact of the slap swerved her head to the side and dragged
her gaze from mother to daughter. Both of them were flushed with emotion yet at
opposite poles of the color spectrum—one dark as an oncoming storm and the
other pale as the moonlight.
The back of Susan’s heel caught the edge of the
cushion and she landed hard on her back.
The bitter flavor of blood swept over her taste
buds. “What the hell?” She rubbed her jaw and glared daggers at the crazy woman
looming over her. Just as quickly, she schooled her expression to something
less threatening before she insulted the bigger shifter further. With the tip
of her tongue, Susan explored her mouth. She didn’t encounter any big gaps, so
no lost tooth. A small blessing.
Kele’s crazy mother hovered over Susan’s face and
bared her teeth. In beast form, her expression would have appeared fierce, but
in human form it seemed terrifying. With an easy grace, she flipped Susan onto
her stomach. A bony knee pressed between her shoulder blades, making her kiss
the floor. Pain shot across Susan’s upper back and neck.
“How dare you come into my den and not submit to
me.”
“She’s not a shifter!” Kele shouted. “You can’t
expect her to know how to be polite.”
Something ran over Susan’s hair, and the sound of
sniffing followed. She tried to take a deep breath but the weight on her back
made it difficult.
The nutjob exhaled in disgust. “What is she?”
“A human.” Kele peered at Susan’s throbbing face
as she stroked her hair. “Please, I wanted to teach her how to behave before
meeting you and father.”
“Your father.” The bitch snorted. “It’s bad enough
he’s entertaining a vampire and dealing with trespassing alphas. We don’t need
any more vermin within the den.”
Susan was jerked from the ground by her hair and
dragged across the floor. Pain shot into her scalp while she scrambled to
support her weight with her legs.
“Let go. Let go.” The shifter world was more
brutal than anything she’d ever experienced. Susan slapped at the crazy woman’s
hands tangled in her hair.
“My daughter took too many liberties in offering
you shelter. You’ll need to find another den to take you in.”
At a loss, Susan yanked and squirmed but only made
the pain worse. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kele leap.
The petite blonde used her wiry strength to jump
across the room and land on her mother’s back. The collision knocked them both
to the ground in a knot of arms and legs.
Untangling her limbs from the struggling shifters,
Susan could finally elbow the bitch in the face. The impact made a satisfying
crunch. She pulled back her arm for a second shot, but Kele grabbed her and
half carried, half dragged her out of the chamber.
“Hurry, we need to reach my father before she
beats you into cinders.”
Not needing any further incentive, Susan ran after
her new friend. “Your people are crazy.”
Interview:
1.
Where did
you get the idea for the novel?
I love
telling this story because it shows how twisted my mind is. LOL
Both my
sons were very ill with strep throat. Fever for days. When one was awake, the
other was asleep, and vice versa. In other words, I had slept more than a few
hours in days. I felt like the Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and antibiotic dispensing
machine.
About two
in the morning, I had both boys in one bed so I could watch them together. My
oldest’s fever was raging and I was waiting anxiously for the meds to kick in
or I’d have to place him in a cool bath. Again.
I was sitting on the floor and rested my head on the mattress and fell
asleep.
In a
matter of minutes, I dreamt of this whole world. I spent the next nine months
writing book one and about a year editing it. If you’ve read where this story
comes from and read the book, you’ll see much of the inspiration within
it. By the way, my boys are fine. Thank
goodness for antibiotics. :D
2.
Your
title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?
This book
had so many titles. It started as Temple then became Smelling Human. An author friend suggested Scent of a Human.
It remained like this for almost a year as it went through the rounds of
submissions. It still didn’t convey what I wanted and I posted for help on
romance writer forum. Salvation came up in the conversation and voila. Scent of
Salvation made so much more sense.
3.
Which
came first, the title or the novel?
Novel.
When I’m working on the manuscript they all have working titles but very rarely
do they remain.
4.
Since
becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?
First,
being included in author circles at conferences as if I always belonged while
inside I’m fan-girling. Second, is when I got THE CALL from Angela James
offering my first Carina contract. Third, getting the e-mail from my Samhain
editor calmly inquiring if Scent was still available for acquisition.
5.
What book
are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?
Currently
started Darkfever by Karen Marie Monning. Last book I finished was Flirt by LK
Hamilton.
6.
What was
your first book that you ever wrote (very first one you wrote, not published)?
Amazingly,
the very first book I wrote was the first one I published. Bait, book one of
The Angler series. It’s free everywhere, by the way. I was lucky enough to
final in a RWA contest which got me the contract.
7.
What is
your writing process?
I have
very full schedule. I still work part time as a nurse and I have two very busy
boys so I’ve learned to write anywhere. Whatever the noise level. What I do
HAVE to accomplish first is to outline the book so when I have to set it aside
it’s easy to jump back right in without having to figure out what to write
next.
- Who are your favorite
authors of all time?
Jim
Butcher, Nalini Singh, LK Hamilton, Larry Niven, Robert Jordan, and CJ Cherryh.
9.
At a book
signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do you come up
with stuff to say?
With each
series, I come up with an original tagline that is not used on the cover. Such
as for my Vanguards series I usually write, “Never moon a werewolf.” Or my
Angler series I use, “Live bait makes all the difference.”
- What is something people
would be surprised to know about you?
I have
been a critical care nurse for twenty years in level one trauma centers in both
ER and ICU. There’s not much I haven’t seen or done.
11.
How do
you react to a bad review?
I scream,
I cry, I tear my hair out. LOL
No.
Everyone’s entitled to their opinion and I can’t expect everyone to love me. I
write to my best ability and strive always to do better, but I am only human.
What frustrates me is when it’s obvious the person didn’t read the story by
their comments in either good or bad reviews.
12.
How did
you celebrate the sale of your first book?
I’m
pretty sure we ordered take-out. LOL I know, hang on to your hats. The party
animals are here.
About the Author:
Annie Nicholas
writes paranormal romance with a twist. She has courted vampires, hunted with
shifters, and slain a dragon’s ego all with the might of her pen. Riding the
wind of her imagination, she travels beyond the restraints of reality and
shares them with anyone wanting to read her stories. Mother, daughter, and wife
are some of the other hats she wears while hiking through the hills and dales
of her adopted state of Vermont.
Annie writes for
Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, and Lyrical Press.
Annie
Nicholas hibernates in the rural, green mountains of Vermont where she dreams
of different worlds, heroes, and heroines. When spring arrives the stories pour
from her, in hopes to share them with the masses one day. Mother, daughter,
wife are some of the hats she happily wears while trudging after her cubs
through the hills and dales. The four seasons an inspiration and muse.
