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Thursday, December 01, 2011

A Christmas With… Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

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To celebrate the release of the latest collaboration between Nancy & Debbie, the first book in the Wolf Spring Chronicles, Unleashed, I’m very happy to welcome the girls on the blog and kick-start the Christmas event! They choose to write a short Christmas story, featuring the main characters of Unleashed!

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Mordecai McBride sat in front of his dying fire, listening to the sounds of the night in the dark outside his cabin.  He shifted uneasily in his chair, the creak loud to his ears.  He winced as the pain from the deep scratches that covered his back knifed through him.

He glanced at the empty chair beside him and felt the hole in his heart.  “Merry Christmas, Evie, I miss you,” he whispered.  His wife had died a few months before and he knew he would never get over the loss.

He had been going to spend Christmas with his son and his son’s new wife in Los Angeles, but the storms had dropped so much snow on the ground that the roads were shut down along with the airport.  So he was alone in his cabin on Christmas Eve.  Outside a wolf howled and he gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the wounds on his back.

Then he heard something else, a muffled sound, distant.  He swiveled his head, listening closely.  It sounded like a shout.

He stood up, grabbed his rifle, and headed for the door.  If someone was out there, they were in danger.  He flipped on the porch lights and eased himself outside.

The world was blanketed with snow and there was more falling, softer now than it had been before.

“Hello!” he shouted.

A moment later a response came.  Someone was shouting for help.  He stepped off the porch, sinking thigh deep into the treacherous snow.  He struggled to keep his balance as he pushed forward.

“Help us, please!”

The voice was closer, but sounded weaker.

“Come toward me!” Mordecai shouted as he kept plowing through the snow.  A minute later he made out the image of two figures huddled together struggling to move.  He reached them and saw that it was a young couple, clinging to each other, covered in snow.

The woman fell, collapsing into the snow and sinking into it.  The man sobbed with exhaustion as he reached down, trying to help her up.  “Please, she’s pregnant,” he said.

Mordecai moved forward and then the wolf howled again, much closer this time.  He froze for a moment and then lunged forward.  He thrust the rifle into the man’s hands and reached down and picked up the woman.

He turned and began to fight his way back toward his cabin, the lights only a dim glow in the darkness and snow.  The wolf howled again, closer, and fear prickled down his spine.  Beside him the young man swore in what sounded like Russian.

His legs were shaking with the exertion of pushing through the snow and Mordecai tightened his grip on the woman in his arms.  She moaned in pain and began to cry.

He made it to the porch and crashed down on the bottom step on his knees.  He heard a growling sound behind him and the Russian fired off a shot.  Mordecai struggled back to his feet, staggered up the stairs, and threw himself inside the cabin.

The man came behind and slammed the door.  Moments later something hit the door hard.  Mordecai set the woman on her feet and threw the bolt.  Through the door he could hear panting.

“The wolf, it’s been following us,” the man said, voice shaken.

“What does it want?” the woman asked.

“To kill you,” Mordecai said grimly.

“Oh no!” the woman gasped.

“Don’t worry,” he assured her.  “He can’t get in here.”

He turned and went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.  Then he went upstairs and brought down towels and clean, dry clothes for them both.  When he reached the bottom of the stairs the woman let out a scream and slid down the wall to a sitting position, clutching her abdomen.

“Her water broke about an hour ago,” her husband said.

“She’s in labor?” Mordecai asked, stunned.

Another anguished scream confirmed it.

“What were you doing out in the middle of the forest with your wife in labor?” Mordecai demanded.

“We were trying to make it to Wolf Springs.  We had been visiting friends, but we got lost and the car ran out of gas.”  He took a shaky breath.  “My name is Nicolai Sokolov.  This is my wife Katya.”

“Mordecai McBride.  Pleased to meet you.  Now let’s get this baby delivered.”

An hour later Mordecai was holding a baby boy in his arms.  He dried him off and then wrapped him in a warm towel before handing him to his mother.  He went into the kitchen and cleaned up.  Then he took a long swallow of coffee, giving the couple a few minutes alone with their new baby.

Finally he returned to the living room.  Katya was sitting up, cradling the child in her arms and her husband sat beside her a look of adoration and wonder on his face.  Outside the snow had stopped and everything was silent.

The clock struck midnight.

It was Christmas.

Mordecai blinked back unexpected tears.  It was Christmas and almost two thousand years after the first Christmas a couple of weary travelers had once again sought refuge with a stranger and found a place to have a child.  He couldn’t help but marvel and wish Evie had been there with him.

“Merry Christmas to all,” he said softly.

“Come,” Nicolai waved him over enthusiastically.  “You must be his godfather.”

Mordecai couldn’t contain his surprise.  “That’s a big responsibility, and an honor you bestow.  You must know someone else who would be better suited.”

“You have already saved his life, what more could anyone ask?”

Katya handed the baby to Mordecai.

“What’s his name?” he asked as he stared down at the tiny fellow.

“Vladimir Mordecai Sokolov.  Vladimir for my father and Mordecai for you,” Nikolai said.

“Heck of a name to give a kid.”

And the baby looked up at him and closed one eye, as though he was winking at him.

“Well, look at you,” Mordecai said, smiling down at the baby.  “That’s some trick.”

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What a great story ladies!

If it got you curious, here’s a bit more about Unleashed

Unleashed (Wolf Springs Chronicles, #1)

Katelyn McBride’s life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains. Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It’s a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths. And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night—welcome to Wolf Springs.

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

giveaway

Random House would like to offer 3 copies of Unleashed to three (3) lucky winners!

Open to US Only.

Giveaway Ends January 4th, 2012.

All you have to do is fill the Rafflecopter form below.

The only mandatory entry is to provide your name and email addy =)




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Nancy xmas pictureNancy Holder is a multiple award-winning, New York Times bestselling author (the Wicked Series). Her two new dark young adult dark fantasy series are Crusade and Wolf Springs Chronicles. She has won four Bram Stoker Awards from the Horror Writers Association, as well as a Scribe Award for Best Novel (Saving Grace: Tough Love.) Nancy has sold over eighty novels one hundred short stories, many of them based on such shows as Highlander, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and others. She lives in San Diego with her daughter, Belle, two corgis, and three cats.

You can visit Nancy online at www.nancyholder.com

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Schrodinger With PresentsDebbie Viguié is the New York Times Bestselling author of over a dozen novels including the Wicked series and the new Crusadeseries co-authored with Nancy Holder.  Much of Debbie’s writing has a dark edge to it, including her retold fairy tales, her latest beingViolet Eyes, a retelling of The Princess and the Pea.  In addition to her epic dark fantasy work Debbie also writes thrillers including The Psalm 23 Mysteries and the upcoming Kiss trilogy.  When Debbie isn’t busy writing she enjoys spending time with her husband, Scott, visiting theme parks.  They live in Florida with their cat, Shrödinger.

You can visit Debbie online at http://debbieviguie.com.

 

Nancy & Debbie’s books:

Wicked: Witch & Curse (Wicked,...Wicked 2: Legacy & Spellbound...Wicked: Resurrection (Wicked,...Crusade (Crusade, #1)Damned (Crusade, #2)Wicked: Witch (Wicked, #1)

Unleashed_728x90

tyngasig

Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

Follow Tynga on: Facebook | Twitter

44 People left their mark' :

  1. Awesome post! I plan to start this one tomorrow I'm really looking forward to it!!

    Giselle
    Xpresso Reads

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  2. I love that story, especially the ending. I'm so glad you hosted it.

    Please don't enter me in the contest since I already have my own copy of UNLEASHED! :-)

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  3. I haven't had a chance to read anything be either author yet.

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  4. I have read Damned by Nancy Holder and loved it.

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  5. Thanks for the short story! I feel for that baby having to learn to spell his name, lol.

    I haven't read books by either author before, so I'm looking forward to reading their work!

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  6. I've never read their books before

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  7. I have not read either author's books. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  8. I have yet to read these two authors. Thanks for a chance to do so.

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  9. Thank you for the post. What a good story.

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  10. I sooo can't wait to read this! I love Nancy and Debbie! Can't wait to see what they do with werewolves!

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  11. Oopsies! I just noticed that this giveaway is for US only. Just disregard my entries... :\

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  12. I read the Witch series. Really enjoyed it, can't wait to read this one.

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  13. Aww, what a sweet short! Loved the setting of a cabin in the woods, completely snowed in. I went to school in Colorado and we did a dorm retreat in a cabin just like this one in the middle of January. First time I ever did a polar bear swim, too!

    Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway op!


    Smiles!
    Lori

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  14. I have not read any of their books. audie(at)wickerness(dot)com

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  15. These books look awesome. Thanks for the great giveaway. I can't wait to start reading ;).

    eckstein99@comcast.net

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  16. I've never read anything by either of these authors, but this one sounds like it involves wolves and I love those so I'd be happy for a chance to read it.
    jen(at)delux(dot)com

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  17. I haven't read any books by either author yet but I would like to. Tore923@aol.com

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  18. I was immediately sucked in by this novel! I cannot wait to read it! Nancy is an awesome writer and I cannot wait to read this one! I would definitely like to read some of Debbies work as well!

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  19. I have not had a chance to read their books yet. This is the first I've heard of the series and it sounds great.

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  20. Can't wait to read this series so thx for hosting this awesome giveaway. and the post was fantastic.

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  21. Thank you so much this sounds like a great book can't wait to read ir love the cover too!

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  22. I haven't had a chance to read works by either of them yet, but look forward to doing so.

    mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com

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  23. Sounds like an interesting series. Will have to look out for this one.

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  24. This looks really good, its going on my tbr list!

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  25. I have read Possession by Nancy. That book was super creepy but I really need to read the rest of the series. I have Debbie's Kiss of Night but have not read it yet and their Crusade series.

    Amy Lynn

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  26. I really enjoyed the post. New to me authors but they are going on the list. Thanks for the chance.

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  27. I've never read one of there books, but would love to try one.

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  28. Awesome giveaway, thanks for the chance to win it! (=

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  29. I have NOT read any books by these authors YET. But I'm hoping to change that!

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  30. Nope...never read any books by these authors but this book looks great!

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  31. That cover is amazing! Really makes me want to get inside to find out what's going on!

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  32. This is a new author to me. So I haven't had the chance to read their work. I'd love to get the chance though. Thanks for the giveaway! DeAnna Schultz

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  33. I hopped over and checked out these authors' books and have not yet had the opportunity to read any of them, although it does look like there are a number of tasty reads just waiting for me to explore. Thank you for sharing and for the awesome giveaway opportunity.

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  34. I haven't yet read any of her books but I so want too! Have been dying to read this one since I saw it on goodreads.

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  35. I saw a review of this book and its been on my list since! Thanks!

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  36. Not yet, but hopefully that will change. :D
    Oh, and I follow by GFC-tayteH
    forgot to put that.

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  37. I have not read a book by them, but Unleashed looks awesome!!!

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  38. No I haven't read a book by them YET but I will soon!
    Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  39. I haven't read anything by them outside the short piece in this blog post, but if the writing is of the same par, they're going on my TBR list.

    Thank you for the giveaway!

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  40. I really really really want to read this book. My friend said it was super good

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  41. Merci beaucoup! This book looks so good, thanks for the giveaway!

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  42. I've never read either author before, but I'm excited to. Thanks!

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  43. I haven't read anything by either of them, though my sister has a book by Holder, which I plan to get around to reading some day!

    GFC follower.

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