Crazy Writing Rituals

One of my crazy writing rituals is burning candles that smell like my characters. (For example, I usually burn vanilla candles when I'm writing important Rose-scenes.) Well, the one character that I never had a candle for is Kara, which made me kind of sad because I've written so many candle-less scenes for her. In the books, she's often described as smelling like "violets and leather," which, in Rose's opinion, is a scent that fits her because it's "wild and strong, but beneath the surface, so sweet." Well, guess what? I finally found a violet-scented candle! And I'm feeling a weird amount of excitement about it because it's my weird writing ritual, and I'm a weird person. So…yeah… Yay for scented candles and weird writing rituals and weirdness in general! ❤️

New Book Teaser from THE ASSASSINS OF LIGHT


Just your friendly reminder not to mess with Rose. Because… 1) Rose can rip you apart with her mind, and 2) Kara is REALLY good at killing people. 😂
——–
Kara flashed a dangerous smile at him. “I’ve poisoned sixteen people this week and dismembered twenty-seven. Twenty-eight, if you insult her again.”
Rose stared at Kara, her eyes wide. She slowly returned her gaze to the EXTREMELY rude vampire and offered him an apologetic smile—that he didn’t deserve. “Kara takes her oath to protect me a little TOO seriously,” she explained.
“Clearly,” the vampire snarled.
Kara watched as he turned and disappeared into the living room. “He’s not as useful as he thinks he is. I don’t think anyone would complain if I killed him,” she said thoughtfully. When she noticed that Rose was watching her with both eyebrows raised, her lips twitched upward at the edges. “What?” she said with a guilty smile. She shrugged. “I’m nothing, if not a woman of her word.”
Rose gave her a skeptical look.
“A woman of her word who lies,” Kara amended, “a lot.”
Rose tilted her head to the side, frowning at the paradoxical statement.
“But I’m a spy and an assassin,” Kara added as she led the way toward the kitchen. She leaned forward and opened the door for Rose. “So, it doesn’t count when I lie.”
Rose laughed, “I don’t think it works that way, but…nice try.”
—-
from THE ASSASSINS OF LIGHT
Book 3 of the CREATURES OF DARKNESS series
© Britney Jackson

Book Teaser from THE ASSASSINS OF LIGHT


I’ve been having a lot of good writing days lately, and because of that, I am so excited about this next book right now. And boys and girls, I am here to tell you that excitement leads to book teasers. (It’s like a physiological fact, isn’t it?) 😜 

So, here it is! A teensy-weensy teaser from my next book, THE ASSASSINS OF LIGHT! 😁

I don’t usually post quotes from the romantic parts of my books, so I guess I’m breaking tradition today. 😊 Crazy, battle-axe-wielding, Viking-warrior Kara Unnarsdóttir isn’t sentimental often, so when she is, you have to commemorate it with a teaser. (It’s like a rule or something.) 😜

(I finally finished my very rough draft of the book blurb/description for THE ASSASSINS OF LIGHT, so once I finish designing the cover, I’ll post it, too.)

Anyway, I hope you like the teaser! ❤️

THE ASSASSINS OF LIGHT

I’ve been working really hard on The Assassins of Light (Book Three of the Creatures of Darkness series), and I’m pretty excited about some of the parts that I’ve written so far. ❤️

For those of you still reading or planning to read The Tomb of Blood (Book Two of the Creatures of Darkness series), I really, really hope you like it. I poured so much into that book, and it was such an emotional experience for me. And I’m so excited (and terrified) to now be sharing it with everyone. 😊❤️

For those of you who have already finished it, thank you so much for reading it, and I would love to hear what you thought (if you haven’t already told me). And I promise I’ll have The Assassins of Light finished as quickly as possible (or as quickly as the kids will let me, haha.) But until then, maybe some excerpts and teasers will hold you over.  😉

Speaking of excerpts…

If you’ve ever been curious about Rose’s infamous, criminal brother, I have good news… You’ll finally meet him in The Assassins of Light. (He originally had a scene in The Stone of the Eklektos, but I cut it out because that book was long.) Anyway, Rose’s brother, Zach Foster, is finally out of prison and will be in The Assassins of Light. And here’s a little excerpt to introduce you to him! 😊 I hope you like it! ❤️

“Put that back, or so help me, God, I will call your parole officer myself!” Rose snarled as she stormed into the room and leveled him with a deadly glare.

Zach dropped the gun and looked at her. “You would never.”

“Don’t tempt me,” she growled. “Put the other three guns back, too.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “There is an entire government organization out to kill me. Don’t you think that it’s okay to break the law, just this once?”

“Okay, first of all, cool it with the conspiracy theories. As far as we know, the Assassins of Light are operating outside of the government,” Rose began, snatching another gun out of his hand, “for now. Second, they’re not trying to kill you. They’re trying to kill me. They just wanted to use you to lure me to them.”

“And…why do they want to kill you?” Zach asked suspiciously.

“Long story,” Rose muttered. She rolled her eyes when she noticed him swipe a wallet off of the table. “Put it back. Right now. And stop stealing stuff!”

Zach gave her a peeved look as he reluctantly returned the wallet.

Rose ran her fingers through her long, red hair and sighed. “Don’t worry. If the Assassins of Light come back, I have plenty of weapons to cover us both.”

Zach studied her with a suspicious frown. “Like…fangs?”

She froze. “You know,” she realized.

“Were you ever going to tell me?” he asked quietly.

“Well, I figured you might ask questions in like fifty years when I haven’t aged, and then…maybe,” Rose sighed. “Who told you? It was Kara, wasn’t it?”

Zach frowned. “Which one is Kara?”

“The crazy, leather-clad woman with way too many weapons,” Rose said.

“Oh, you mean your girlfriend,” he said, nodding.

Rose rolled her eyes. “Oh, goodness, not you, too,” she complained. “Kara is not my girlfriend. Why does everyone think that she’s my girlfriend?”

“Uh…probably because you keep making out with her,” he muttered.

She blushed, mortified. “Those were…accidents.”

“Hey, I tried to use that excuse, too,” he said. “I still went to prison.”

She scowled at him. “You didn’t accidentally break seventeen laws.”

“And YOU didn’t accidentally kiss someone seventeen times,” he countered.

Rose sighed, “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Have you slept with her?” he continued.

“Not…having…this…conversation…with…you,” she said slowly.

“Pleading the fifth is a sign of guilt,” Zach told her.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him and pasted on a fake smile. “I’m so relieved to see that prison didn’t make you any nicer,” she said sarcastically. “I would hate to find out that five years in a correctional facility actually corrected something.”

He mimicked her sassy smile perfectly. “Well, if death didn’t make you any less annoying, I don’t know why you would expect prison to change me.”

Rose turned, her brows furrowing, as she heard the commotion that was coming from downstairs. She sighed irritably, “I’ll be back. I have to stop these vampires from killing each other. Again. Just…stay in here.” She headed toward the door. As she left, she yelled over her shoulder, “And stop stealing stuff!”

He glared at the back of her head. “Well, you…stop kissing people!”

from THE ASSASSINS OF LIGHT

Book 3 of the CREATURES OF DARKNESS series

© Britney Jackson

THE TOMB OF BLOOD Book Trailer

My internet is actually working pretty consistently today (insert HUGE gasp of surprise here), so I was finally able to upload the book trailer on the website. 😊❤️ It’s my very first book trailer EVER. (So, if it sucks, you know why. 😂) Hopefully, it won’t be blurry on here. If it is, you can also find the trailer on YouTube and my Facebook page, and those versions aren’t blurry.

And if you need the link to the book, here it is: http://a.co/5muYr29.

THE TOMB OF BLOOD Kindle Version

The Tomb of Blood Cover #3

I meant to post this a couple of days ago, but thanks to very severe sleep deprivation, I forgot. (In case you’re planning to try this at home, be warned: Going four days without sleep leads to lots of forgetfulness and giggling at inappropriate times.)

The Kindle version of The Tomb of Blood (Book Two of the Creatures of Darkness series) is available! And like The Stone of the Eklektos, you can read it for free on Kindle Unlimited.

This is the Amazon Link for it: http://a.co/8aOi8M7

If you’ve purchased this book or my other book, I just want you to know that I appreciate you more than words can express, and I really, really hope you enjoy this book. I poured SO much energy and emotion into this book, and I agonized over every weird and crazy decision that my characters made. So, I’m so excited (and terrified) that people are now reading it.

I stayed on three different bestseller lists consistently for two days, which is just the coolest thing for me, because I rarely make it on one bestseller list, much less three.

The paperback should be available within the next day or so. I’ll post another update when it is.

I love you guys, and I hope you like the book!


The Tomb of Blood Book Blurb

Rose Foster is just starting to adjust to her new life as a vampire when a series of highly publicized murders throws the world into chaos. Rose, Kallias, and Erik must intervene if they want to prevent the imminent war between vampires and humans.

But when they realize that the woman behind these murders is Alana—a vampire they believed to be long dead—intervening becomes complicated. Alana is as powerful as she is seductive. She is a master of manipulation and the queen of mind games. She craves vengeance, and she doesn’t care if she has to tear the world apart to get it. And now, she has an army.

Outnumbered and overpowered, Rose, Kallias, and Erik turn to the only person who might be able to help: a cunning and skilled warrior by the name of Kara Unnarsdóttir. Kara is the second-in-command of the largest vampire colony in the world—the Tomb of Blood—and she offers to help them infiltrate the Tomb of Blood and form an alliance with Aaron, the most ancient vampire known to exist. There’s just one problem: Kara is Alana’s lover, and Aaron is the last person in the world that should ever be trusted. No one knows who will betray whom, only that betrayal is inevitable.

In this second installment of the Creatures of Darkness series, Rose will unravel more of the mystery behind what it means to be the Eklektos.

New Excerpt for THE TOMB OF BLOOD

We have exactly three more weeks until the release date, and I have one more teaser for you! 😊❤️

THE TOMB OF BLOOD is such topsy-turvy book (thanks to our lovely/crazy, telepathic villain and her love of driving people mad with dreams and illusions). But I think this scene might be the most topsy-turvy of all. And because of that, it’s one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy! ❤️❤️❤️

“You think that you’re the hero of this story, and I’m the villain,” Alana said, a bitter smile curving at the edges of her lips. “But I know the truth.”

“The truth?” Rose repeated worriedly. “What do you mean by that?”

Alana played absently with the strings of Rose’s hoodie, tugging it tighter and then loosening it as she spoke. “My darkness runs deep. That’s true. But your darkness?” she paused, her dark blue gaze shifting up to meet Rose’s gaze. Her smile deepened. “Your darkness would rip the entire universe apart.”

“What are you talking about, Alana?” Rose breathed, her heart racing.

With the string of Rose’s hoodie wrapped around her hand, Alana jerked Rose closer, until their faces nearly touched. “I’ve been inside your head, Rose. I know things about you that even you don’t know. I know what you really are.”

Rose felt a strange prickling sensation in her head, like fingertips sliding over her mind. A wave of disorientation washed over her—so intense that she might have collapsed if Alana weren’t clutching her jacket. “What am I?”

“The truth is, Rose,” Alana whispered, her breath warm against Rose’s face, “you’re only one tragedy away from becoming the worst villain this world has ever seen.” She let go of Rose’s jacket so abruptly that Rose stumbled backward.

Rose caught herself against the door. “That’s not true,” she insisted.

Alana lifted an eyebrow. “Isn’t it?”

An image suddenly flashed through Rose’s mind, an image that felt so familiar, an image that she must have seen somewhere before, but at the same time, she couldn’t have—black hair…black eyes…black sky…blood…so much blood. Rose fell to her knees, shaking, as her mind spun with disorientation, as pain lashed through her head, as that image seemed to rip apart her conscious thoughts. Rose tilted her head back and screamed desperately, “Stay out of my head!”

Alana knelt in front of Rose, her blood-soaked, lavender dress brushing against the marble floor. She reached out and gently traced the curves of Rose’s face with her finger. “Aww, but darling,” she cooed, “I’m already in your head.”

Cold dread washed over Rose. “What?” she breathed, looking at Alana.

Alana tilted her head to the side, her pale blonde hair falling over one shoulder. “Since you know so much about psychic abilities, I have a pop quiz for you. Tell me: How do you tell the difference between reality and an illusion?”

Rose stared at Alana, her face paling in horror, as she realized, “You can’t.”

From THE TOMB OF BLOOD

© Britney Jackson

Release Date: May 16th! 😊

Official Release Date


The official release date for THE TOMB OF BLOOD is May 16, 2017. 

Not much longer!!! 😊❤️

As Rose adjusts to life as a vampire, the world is thrown into a chaos by a series of highly publicized murders that all have one significant thing in common: the bodies have been drained of blood. Rose, Kallias, Erik must intervene if they want to prevent the imminent war between vampires and humans.

But when they realize that the woman behind these murders is Alana—a vampire they believed to be long dead—intervening becomes complicated. Alana is as powerful as she is seductive. She is a master of manipulation and the queen of mind games. She craves vengeance, and she doesn’t care if she has to tear the world apart to get it. And now, she has an army.

Outnumbered and overpowered, Rose, Kallias, and Erik turn to the only person who might be able to help: a cunning and skilled warrior by the name of Kara Unnarsdóttir. Kara is the second-in-command of the largest vampire colony in the world—the Tomb of Blood—and she offers to help them infiltrate the Tomb of Blood and form an alliance with Aaron, the most ancient vampire known to exist. There’s just one problem: Kara is Alana’s lover, and Aaron is the last person in the world that should ever be trusted. No one knows who will betray whom, only that betrayal is inevitable.

In this second installment of the Creatures of Darkness series, Rose will unravel more of the mystery behind what she is and further explore what it means to be the Eklektos.

New Character Preview

Aaron Profile.jpg

Aaron is one of the few major characters of the Creatures of Darkness series that I haven’t really talked about yet. He’s only mentioned a few times in the first book, so you probably just know him as “the oldest vampire in the world,” “that guy everyone’s afraid of,” or “one of the 17 million people that Kallias hates.” I think the best way to describe him is this: he’s the character you’ll love to hate. While Alana is the one with good intentions (and a complete lack of sanity) that happens to be the villain, Aaron is the one with very BAD intentions that happens to be on our side. He’s ruthless, manipulative, and usually apathetic. Officially, he rules over the largest vampire colony in the world. Unofficially, he practically rules over ALL vampires. Because if you do something he doesn’t like, he’ll send someone to kill you. And the person he sends is usually Kara. (Sorry, not a good chance of surviving THAT.) Kara respects Aaron because she’s a Viking, and as a Viking, she learned to respect strong leaders who protect their people. And despite Aaron’s many faults, he has spent thousands of years protecting vampires. Or…well…sending Kara to do it…because, as Rose says, he’s too prissy to get his hands dirty (and Kara obviously isn’t). Yeah…you can just imagine how well Rose’s smart mouth goes over with the most powerful vampire in the world. He’s definitely a fun character to write, and it’s a very good thing that he’s on our side. But make no mistake: he is NOT trustworthy.

P.S. – In case you’re wondering, yes, I am finally updating the character section of my website. Give me a few days, and it should be finished.

 

Happy Anniversary, Buffy!


It’s the 20th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which makes me feel really old, all of the sudden). 😳

I didn’t watch a whole lot of television as a kid (or teen). Just a few anime shows and this. At the risk of sounding a little melodramatic, I have to admit that this show played a big role in my life. It was funny and entertaining, yes, but it was also inspiring. And so ahead of its time. It was full of strong female characters (when strong female characters weren’t quite as common) and full of people overcoming adversity. And…as a geeky, awkward, insecure little girl, do you know how much it meant to me to see Willow kick some butt? ❤️❤️❤️

And it also MIGHT be partially responsible for my lifelong fascination with vampires. It and Anne Rice, of course. 😊

Happy anniversary, Buffy! ❤️

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