Chameleon by Zoe Kalo

 

Excerpt:

I cannot clearly say how I had entered

the wood; I was so full of sleep just at

the point where I abandoned the true path.

— Dante Alighieri, Inferno 1. 11-12

Chapter 1

Puerto Rico, 1973

Oak trees dripping with Spanish moss embraced us from both sides, but not enough to shield us

from the prison that would be my home for the next seven months. The high stone walls and neo-

Gothic bell tower loomed over us as my stepfather drove his Mercedes through the spiked iron

gates and into the sloping, curving driveway.

A spider of dread crawled up my back. Prison indeed.

I couldn’t believe it had come to this. The way things had blown out of proportion. I’d only

wanted to contact my dead father. Ask his forgiveness.

My mother reached for my hand from the front seat without turning around to look at me.

I stared at her perfectly polished red nails and the glittery square cut emerald on her ring finger.

Her fingers flicked, silently pleading for my attention, but I was frozen inside. Her hand

retreated.

I stared at the convent, my eyes studying the pointed arched windows, the worn, age-blackened

stones. The place looked haunted. Perfect for my state of mind. What was my mother thinking?

Something moved behind one of the windows. A face. For an instant my pulse raced at the sheer

paleness of it, at the two dark holes that made up its eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Sara, my six-year- old half sister, asked.

I pointed. “A girl.”

She followed my line of vision. “Where?”

“There. High up. In the window.”

She dipped her head so she could have a better look. “I don’t see anything.”

I felt a shiver, but not from the cold. It’s white. It’s watching us.

Then the car moved too close to the building, and the face vanished from view.

“Is this your new school, Paloma?” Sara asked.

I nodded. Sara was the child, female version of my stepfather. Her bottomless dark eyes,

framed by velvety lashes, stared at me with misery. “I don’t like it,” she whispered, grabbing my

hand.

“It’ll be okay,” I whispered back, and gave her hand a little squeeze.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Well, here we are,” Domenico said in his strong Castilian accent, stopping the car in

front of the entrance. He climbed out and opened the door for my mother. Then he proceeded to

take out my suitcases from the trunk.

My mother was silent. She stepped out like a wooden mannequin, her eyes shimmery

with unshed tears.

I climbed out, followed by Sara, the gravel crunching under our shoes. The early morning

air was cool and a blanket of mist still lingered—not surprising, since the convent was on the

outskirts of El Yunque, the island’s rain forest. More Spanish moss hung from the oak trees and

rippled in the breeze like long, shivering memories. I could smell the dew on the leaves and the

rich perfume of moist earth, redolent of open graves.

I glanced at the ominous clouds. “Beautiful morning.”

An ongoing distant hum resonated all around us. One, two beats passed, before it struck me:

Waterfall.

Something within me shut down—or exploded, I couldn’t be sure.

I shut my eyes for a second, wiping out memories of chilled water searing my lungs.

I repeated the eighth multiplication table in my head. This always helped.

“After you,” Domenico said, interrupting my thoughts.

I wanted to loathe him. Tried to, anyway. I could see what my mother saw in him: a powerfully

charismatic, handsome man with the infinite skill to make people do his bidding. My mother,

with her small delicate features and petite frame, looked invisible beside him. A mere spectre.

But that was just a façade. I knew better.

The big oak door opened and a nun clad in black habit and a wimple came down the steps

to greet us.

Sara wrapped her arms around my waist. Her gesture both comforted me and heightened

my anxiety. Nuns in habit made me think of great black birds.

“Bienvenidos,” the nun said. Like my stepfather, she also had a Castilian accent. “I’m

Madre Estela and I’m second in charge to Madre Superiora. You must be Señor and Señora de

Aznar.”

They exchanged small talk. Madre Estela sounded polite enough, but she didn’t offer to

shake hands with my parents, which I found strange. Maybe nuns weren’t allowed to shake

hands. I wouldn’t be surprised. I noticed the wedding band on her ring finger. Married to God.

Absurd.

“You must be Paloma,” she said tonelessly.

“Yes,” I said. Wasn’t it obvious? I didn’t know what else to say.

The cross on her chest caught my attention. It had a crucified Christ on it and I noticed

the thorns cutting Christ’s forehead, the little drops of blood glistening on His fragile body.

“Welcome to our school, Paloma.” Her critical gaze scrutinized my makeup, my tight

jeans. “I’ve heard much about you.”

I didn’t miss the hint of cold disapproval in her voice. I wasn’t sure how much my parents had

complained about my behavior, but considering I had been kicked out—well, actually, kindly

asked to leave—from my previous school in the middle of October, it couldn’t be good.

“Are you ready to resume your senior year of high school?” Stress on resume.

“I can’t wait,” I said. There was no point in being nice—or pretending to be. That just

wasn’t me. I felt miserable and couldn’t hide it. Besides, I could tell from our short exchange that

she’d made up her mind not to like me long before meeting me, and I had the sinking feeling that

no matter what I said or did, her opinion wouldn’t change. I had already been stamped in her

Inquisition book, tagged a criminal.

Madre Estela’s stony eyes moved to Sara. My little sister’s arms clutched my waist even

tighter. From the nun’s expression, I could tell she was wondering if I had infected Sara with

whatever plague ailed me. She dismissed us and turned back to my mother and stepfather.

“Madre Superiora is expecting you in her office. Let’s not keep her waiting. Don’t concern

yourselves with the suitcases. Someone will come for them shortly.”

They thanked her and followed her up the steps.

“I don’t want to go in,” Sara said.

“It’ll be okay,” I said. I glanced at the window. I wanted to see the pale face again. But there was

nothing.

A drop of rain hit my cheek and I wiped it off. Then I held Sara’s hand and together we

walked up the steps and through the arched doorway.

I felt my throat closing up.

Seven months.

Seven months wasn’t that long, was it? Besides, Thanksgiving break was just around the corner.

Six weeks, to be exact. I had already marked my calendar. I couldn’t wait. I would go through

the motions, no need to make friends that I’d never see again. When you get close to people, you

end up getting hurt.

 



Chameleon
Zoe Kalo
Genre: YA Gothic/Multicultural
Date of Publication: February 15, 2017
Number of pages: 230
Word Count: 55,000
Cover Artist: Deranged Doctor Designs
Book Description:
An isolated convent, a supernatural presence, a dark secret…
17-year-old Paloma only wanted to hold a séance to contact her dead father. She never thought she would be kicked out of school and end up in an isolated convent. Now, all she wants is to be left alone. But slowly, she develops a bond with a group of girls: kind-hearted Maria, insolent Silvy, pathological liar Adelita, and their charismatic leader Rubia.
When, yet again, Paloma holds a séance in the hope of contacting her father, she awakens an entity that has been dormant for years. And then, the body count begins. Someone doesn’t want the secret out…
Are the ghost and Paloma’s suspicions real—or only part of her growing paranoia and delusions?
About the Author:
A certified bookworm and ailurophile, Zoe Kalo has always been obsessed with books and reading. Reading led to writing—compulsively. No surprise that at 16, she wrote her first novel, which her classmates read and passed around secretly. The pleasure of writing and sharing her fantasy worlds has stayed with her, so now she wants to pass her stories to you with no secrecy—but with lots of mystery. She lives amongst cats and books in Belgium, and is the author of the Cult of the Cat young adult fantasy series and the Retribution novella series for adults.
Sign up for her newsletter at www.ZoeKalo.com and receive her exclusive short story “Arkalla.”
Website and blog: www.ZoeKalo.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14951190.Zoe_KaloNewsletter Sign Up: https://goo.gl/7dyYHM

 

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Release Day Blitz Ditch Lane Diaries

Excerpt from Ruby’s Choice book one of the Ditch Lane Diaries

Ruby sat close to Reed on the drive back to Murfreesboro. There was a wintry chill in the

air, and the promise of snow lurked in the late October sky. The two-lane highway had double

yellow lines with no shoulder. As they approached the stretch of the road called Dead Man’s

Curve, Ruby looked up a second too late to see a deer run out of the woods and dart into the

highway in front of Reed’s car.

“Reed, watch out!” she screamed.

Reed was driving too fast to react and tried slamming on his brakes, but he hit the deer.

That was when everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Ruby heard the brakes screech and

smelled burning rubber. She heard the violent crunch of metal as the car skidded in the gravel

toward the ditch. She felt as if they were slowly floating through the air—and then, all at once,

everything sped up, as Ruby heard the deafening grind of metal, and the car flipped on its side.

Ruby’s head hit the windshield, and then there was nothing.

****

Reed woke to a coppery taste in his mouth and the smell of burnt rubber and antifreeze.

His head ached with intense pain. It took about a second for him to remember what had

happened. He looked down and found Ruby pinned underneath him. His car was flipped over on

the passenger side. A surge of adrenaline pumped through his body as he lifted himself off Ruby

and gently shook her.

Reed lifted her from the floorboard and held her in his arms. “Ruby, honey, wake up. Are

you okay?” There was no movement from her. He screamed, “Ruby, baby, can you hear me?

Please wake up, Ruby!” His hands shook as he felt for her pulse. Thank you, sweet Jesus! She’s

alive!

People screamed from somewhere outside, from the sound, there must’ve been at least a

dozen people at the scene. He heard sirens in the distance as people approached the car.

Brent yelled, “Reed, help is coming. We’re going to try and place the vehicle upright.

Can you hold on to something?”

Reed braced himself with one arm so he wouldn’t fall on Ruby. With his other arm, he

tried to secure her next to him, gently, so she wouldn’t hit the dash when the others flipped the

car upright.

Brent hollered, “On the count of three: One! Two! Three!”

The car flipped upright and bounced like a buggy. Reed cradled Ruby in his arms.

Brent opened the driver’s side door and started to pull Reed out. Reed screamed, “Wait.

I’m not leaving Ruby. Has anyone called an ambulance?”

Reed glanced up to see the distraught look on Brent’s face when Brent first noticed

Ruby. And then Brent fell backward, nearly falling. Ruby lay unconscious, almost lifeless in

Reed’s arms.

Brent regained his balance by placing his hand on the roof of the car. His voice quivered,

“Reed, I can see the ambulance lights now. The state trooper is here. Hey man, you’re bleeding

pretty badly.”

Nearing the brink of hysteria, Reed cried, “Jesus, I don’t care about me. I care about her.

I’m staying here with her.”

Someone handed Brent a couple of blankets, and his hands shook when he gave them to

Reed. Brent said, “You need to place this one over Ruby and the other one around you. The

paramedics are here.”

Equipped with two gurneys, one for Reed and the other for Ruby, the paramedics pulled

Reed from the car. He begged, “Please get Ruby first. I’m okay. Get Ruby out of the car.” Reed

was out of his mind with worry. He tried to punch one of the paramedics as they were pulling

him from the wreckage. He screamed and cried out, “Ruby! I’m here, darling! I’m not leaving

you, baby! I’m right here!”

Ruby lay unconscious.

 
Ditch
Lane Diaries
One-Volume
Collection
D.F.
Jones
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Angels
and Demons,
Metaphysical and Visionary, Fantasy
Angels
Publisher: Jones Media
Date of Publication: 2/07/17
Number of Pages: 635
Word Count: 220,913
ASIN: B01NAPBI0A 
Cover Artist: Amanda Northcutt
Jones Media
Book Description:
Angels and Demons Collide in the Ditch
Lane Diaries
The
Ditch Lane Diaries One-Volume Collection, includes Ruby’s Choice, Anna’s Way,
and Sandy’s Story, follow three best friends from college to adulthood while
navigating life’s journey, true loves and supernatural powers bestowed by The
Creator as The Chosen to fight in a six-thousand angelic war between good and
evil.
A Prophetic Dreamer, a Divine
Healer, and a Soul Reader.
The Ditch Lane Diaries follows
three childhood friends from college to adulthood.
An afternoon adventure uncovers a
hidden room and mysterious stones in Campbell Ridge cave unlocking their
supernatural powers.
The
prophetic dreamer, Ruby’s Choice
is a coming of age tale of firsts
including the angst of falling in love. Ruby’s Choice introduces the main
characters of the story while adding a splash of paranormal.
Anna’s
Way is the second installment of The Ditch Lane Diaries.
Anna is a
healer, and one of The Chosen Wards of The Creator.
However, Anna learns quick that
true love doesn’t come in a nice and neat package. She is in love with Jerry
but when she decides to go away to medical school things change.
In Anna’s Way, the Ditch Lane
Diaries characters evolve with adult problems. She meets her guardian angel,
Ralph, who teaches Anna how to use her gift to help others without drawing
attention to herself. Anna’s friendships and true love is the tie that binds
them together while facing supernatural battles against the master of all evil.
The
clairvoyant, Sandy’s Story is the last book of the Ditch Lane Diaries.
The fast-paced,
gripping thriller keeps the reader on edge, and the pages turning.
Investigative reporter, Sandy
Cothran follows a murder lead on Music Row which uncovers Luc’s Testament along
with a string of related crimes.
Sandy’s guardian angel, Baldric
is sworn to protect her but finds himself falling in love with Sandy which
breaks all the rules of heaven and places her in grave danger because Luc is
waiting in the wings on his given moment to pounce.
The Wards of Campbell Ridge fight
with Heaven’s Warrior Angels in an epic supernatural battle against Luc and his
demons to save one of The Chosen.
$2.99 Special Pricing During Release Week!
Readers Are Saying:
“The Ditch Lane Diaries
series has it all and is easily one of my favorites! I am a forever fan of D.F.
Jones! If you like drama, romance, betrayal, demons, angels, secrets, magical
powers, and jealousy, then this book is for you!!!”
“The Ditch Lane Diaries
satiated the starving bookworm in me!”
“I’ll just say that if I
were an angel, this book would have me sprinkling love dust all over the place.
High five DF Jones. Remarkable Read!”
“Grab some tissues for this
heart-pounding, pulse-racing series!”
Signed Paperbacks are available to
purchase online through www.DFJonesAuthor.com
or
order books online through most major
booksellers.
Ditch
Lane Diaries: One-Volume Collection http://a.co/hJpquqQ
Ruby’s
Choice (Ditch Lane Diaries 1) http://a.co/7vMe51Q
Anna’s
Way (Ditch Lane Diaries 2) http://a.co/budztaQ
Sandy’s
Story (Ditch Lane Diaries 3)  http://a.co/6tC8NE4
Antique
Mirror, a Halloween Short Story:  http://a.co/hUgWQbo

 

About
the Author:
After graduating Middle Tennessee
State University, I landed a job as a broadcast consultant at the ABC Affiliate
in Nashville, which led me to open an advertising agency. Over the years, I
created many campaigns for my clients and still enjoy developing marketing
materials.
However, in December of 2010, I
became my parent’s caregiver. There’s nothing quite like facing mortality to
shake up one’s life. I began my writing my first novel in the late Fall of
2014.
Writing is a source of creative
expression but also releases stress. I know many authors that would disagree
with me. But writing takes me to a place where anything is possible, and
fiction takes me to places made of dreams.
I’m happily married to the love
of my life and my best friend, KJ. We have two gorgeous sons whom I love and
adore more than life itself. I love to laugh, and my husband keeps me in
stitches! I’m a fan of the Tennessee Titans. And I like getting my hands dirty.
Okay, get your mind out of the gutter. I like working in my flower gardens.
Register for the newsletter and
get a free book, information on new releases, contests and updates go to http://dfjonesauthor.com/register-for-updates/

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Release Day Blitz Bound by Jen Colly

Excerpt:

Cleopatra was utterly trapped. She longed to close her eyes and block him out, but fear of

the unknown kept them wide open. The man had no weapon, couldn’t possibly mean to harm

her. Except, would he really need a weapon? She couldn’t fight him, wouldn’t even know where

to begin.

He studied her closely, and when his head tilted slightly, she noticed every bit of his

focus fixated on her neck. Not a murderer. He wanted to mark her, to bite her neck, leave the

wound to heal and forever bind her to him. This was why daughters of the aristocracy were kept

under a tight watch. The mark, unbreakable and indisputable, would give this man access to her

family’s wealth and prestige, and bind her to him until death.

He reached for her, head descending to her neck. Cleopatra quickly covered his target

with both hands. Tears gathered in her eyes, sorrow distorted her voice. “I don’t want this.

Please, don’t hurt me.”

The man rocked back as if she’d smacked him, and for the first time since he’d appeared,

he looked at her face. His eyes met hers and didn’t look away as he brought his hand to her

cheek and brushed away a tear. He saw her, truly saw her, and the adoration in his eyes sent a

completely different shimmy down her spine.

In one step, he crowded her, pressing his cheek against hers. “Could never hurt you. My

angel,” his captivating voice crooned, so close to her ear. He drew in a deep breath, his face

buried in her hair. Then he whispered, “My Cleo.”

She gasped. The shortened version of her name on his lips sounded strangely intimate, as

though he’d known her for years. The warmth rolling off his body kept her intensely aware of his

close proximity, and she held her breath, waiting for his next move to prove his intent. He didn’t

bite her, didn’t hurt her, and the sincere affection in his gentle touch left her so very confused.

Any other man would have bitten her, taken advantage of the opportunity laid before him. But

this man? His intent to bite her had been unmistakable, and he’d stopped because he…cared for

her? She didn’t understand.

His hand slipped from her face, dropped to his side, and he staggered back, moving as if

through a dream. He still watched her, but he swayed, that intense focus suddenly gone. The man

crumpled to the floor with a heavy thud.

Dragging in a long, shaky breath, she blinked away tears she’d been staring through. A

few more deep breaths, and she allowed herself to really look at him. He lay on his side, knees

slightly curled, motionless. Something was wrong with him. People didn’t just fall over.

Gripping the railing, which had swiftly become her personal anchor, she pointed her foot

and gingerly nudged his arm. When he didn’t move, she put more force behind the kick.

Cleopatra jumped as his hand fell away from his ribs, thumping onto the floor. Blood coated his

fingers.

He was bleeding? She’d missed the injury completely. The saturated, glistening spot had

been hidden under his hand and camouflaged by his black button-up shirt. He’d been so close

and she hadn’t… She glanced down at herself. Blood streaked across her pale blue gown, more

evidence of his severe injury.

The elevator doors slid open. Oh God, if someone were to see them together in this state,

what would they think? What would happen to her, or to him? Her heart hammered, panic

flooding through her as she peeked out into the main corridor of Sterling.

The white, gold-trimmed corridor stretched on, empty. The elevator doors slid shut, and

there it would stay, unless called. She might not have much time. Peering down at the

unconscious man, she tried to fit the puzzle pieces together.

She’d mistaken his intent. He’d needed sustenance badly, and now he bled out, dying at

her feet. Because of who she was, he refused to harm her, to take from her. How did he have the

willpower to block his instincts from taking over, to stop from feeding?

Whoever he was, she had to save him. She dropped to her knees and pushed away any

lingering fear under her newfound resolve. Tugging his shirt from his dark jeans, she searched

for the injury. In the midst of his blood-slicked skin, the wound gaped open between his ribs. It

looked like he’d been slashed, the nasty gash a result of being on the wrong end of a knife. Just a

guess. She had no experience with this sort of villainy.

Her hand flew to her mouth. The murderer running loose in Galbraith used a knife. Could

this man be yet another victim?

“Can you hear me? What happened to you? Who did this?” She awkwardly patted his

whiskered cheek. His eyes fluttered open, then shut again.

“Balinese is safe.” His voice trembled, his words slurred without support from his

shallow breath. “Paris. Demons.”

Cleopatra’s fingers fumbled as she pulled away his shirt collar. Several teeth-like gouges

in his shredded skin oozed blood near his collarbone. Demons. They’d almost made a meal of

him, and he was a bloody mess, but the real danger came from that knife wound. It looked deep,

and if he’d been damaged internally and lost too much blood, he might not survive.

He needed blood now. She bit her wrist and pressed it against his mouth. His lips didn’t

part, and his body refused to respond. A rivulet of blood slid down his cheek. He’d die if she

didn’t fight for him.

 

 


Bound
The Cities Below
Book Two
Jen Colly
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Kensington/Lyrical
Date of Publication: January 31, 2016
ISBN: 9781516101474
ASIN: B01FBZXSES
Number of pages: 200
Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs
Book Description:
The streets are a battleground for humans, vampires, and demons alike—where survival is a skill, love is a weapon, and the most dangerous act is to care for another . . .
Keir is an assassin devoted to Lady Arianne, the last of her royal bloodline. He is sworn to protect her, and that means eliminating any threat to her life. But while on a mission, he is set upon by a pack of demons, barely escaping with his life.
Cleopatra lives by a set of rules so rigid she no longer knows her true self. But her kind and loving nature resurfaces when she finds a man, bloodied and dying. Moved to help him, she risks her future and her life to save a stranger far below her aristocratic station.
Their attraction to each other is as powerful as it is forbidden. But even as their love grows, Keir keeps his true identity a secret—and this lie is not the only threat to their love . . . or their lives.
Kensington    Amazon    BN
iTunes    Google Play    Kobo
 
About the Author:
 
Jen Colly is the rare case of an author who rebelled against reading assignments throughout her school years. Now she prefers reading books in a series, which has led her to writing her first paranormal romance series: The Cities Below. She will write about anything that catches her fancy, though truth be told, her weaknesses are pirates and vampires.
She lives in Ohio with her supportive husband, two kids, one big fluffy dog, and four rescued cats.

 

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