I'm thrilled to announce that Beyond Shadows, my paranormal/shapeshifter novel, is now available from from Ellora’s Cave Publishing!


Beyond Shadows
N.J. Walters

This is a stand alone book, but it is a sequel to “Shadows Stir” from Dreams of the Oasis IV anthology.

An immortal warrior of the Shadow Realm, Blade’s self-control has been honed to a razor’s edge by centuries of fighting, but it vanishes the moment he lays eyes on Jacqueline Harris. The mere sight of her stirs his blood and he craves physical pleasures long forgotten.

Jac is an accountant, not a risk taker, preferring to live her life quietly. That all changes when she is sent to see a client by mistake and stumbles onto a crime ring. Now she’s on the run for her life.

The sexy stranger appears at her beach house, swearing to protect her at all costs. Dark and dangerous, he resembles the assassin she first fears he is. The last thing she expects is that he can morph into the deadly panther tattooed on his chest. The undeniable passion between them flares to life, but it is more than attraction. It is a soul-deep knowing that he will change her life forever. Blade becomes both protector and lover, but it’s up to her to save him from the shadows that haunt him.


I'm also thilled to announce the release of BY THE BOOK, which is part of the Jamesville series but can be read as a stand alone novel!

BLURB:

Amanda Barrington has moved to Jamesville to start a new life, but someone in this quiet town is trying to kill her.

Former soldier, Jonah Sutter, has returned home to help his sister pick up the pieces of her life. Sparks fly when he and Amanda meet.

He takes on the job of fixing the wiring in her house and ends up protecting her from her stalker. When Amanda is attacked again, all bets are off. And Jonah is no longer playing By The Book.

By The Book is now available from Samhain Publishing. To find out more about this book, or any other of my books, check out my website.

Life lessons from a car purchase

Hooray! I got a new car. I picked it up last night.

My 'old' car wasn't old -- it was just 2 years old. But I wasn't comfortable driving it. I had all-wheel drive before I bought it, and I really missed it. And here in the snowy North, AWD is very, very useful.

So I bit the bullet and talked the Spousal Unit into a new purchase. I forced him to test drive with me so we can be sure he fits (he had a problem with the old car which he neglected to mention until the purchase was done. Oops).

I agonized over the color choices -- should I get the green/gray with the off-white interior? Or the dark gray/silver with the black interior? I loved the green/gray color but I was worried about the dirt in the off-white interior. I thought about it, I paced, I read reviews, I looked at Scotchgard (c) products, I debated ...

I got the gray one. It was $1000 less and the interior sold me. As I drove it home through blowing snow I was so happy. It handles like a dream, it's quick, it's responsive, it's quiet, it's everything I wanted. I realized that the exterior is largely irrelevant. I don't see the exterior that much. I see the interior. And while I loved the look of the ivory/beige interior, I know in a year I'd be worried about that coffee stain, that scuff mark, or the spill in the rear hatch.

Life lesson? It's what's inside that counts -- the engine and the interior. Both cars were identical except for color (and price). Don't be swayed by fancy looks (or fancy book covers) and take a chance on what's inside. It's almost always the best choice.

The Hero's Journey

This weekend I had the privilege of hearing Deb Dixon speak on both Goals Motivation and Conflict (a writer's bible of sorts) and the Hero's Journey. She used a lot of movie examples and we dissected movies. LOL she said we'd never be able to watch a movie purely for enjoyment again.

I tend to think of the hero, and by the way, when talking about the Hero's Journey, we're talking simply the protagonist, not specifically male, as going on a quest with this template. But she showed it applied to books without some quest as well. Like a romance. She said in a romance, you can have one character drive the book and another as its heart.

Which of course made me think about my own books. And how to apply this to what I write. I already do that in a lot of ways. I always think about my story as a journey. My character(s) tend to change throughout the novel. Not just romantically but usually the inner workings in some manner as well. I think I'm going to go back and revise an old story and really put this framework to the test. After I've done it (and don't hold your breath...I'm a deadline LOL for another story), I'll come back and report how it went.

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com
http://www.melanylogen.com

Beyond Shadows

Isn't the cover gorgeous!

*

The amazingly talented Syneca has created this gorgeous cover for Beyond Shadows, a paranormal/erotic romance due out on November 21st from Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

*

BLURB:

*

Warriors of the Shadow Realm are facing their own demise, becoming lost in the shadows that were once their salvation. The Shadow Lord, hoping to stave off their destruction, sends Blade, one of his fiercest warriors, to protect a woman who holds one of the keys to their survival.

Jac Harris is an accountant, not a risk taker, preferring to live her life quietly. That all changes when she is sent on an accounting job by mistake and stumbles onto a crime ring. Now the bad guys are chasing her and she doesn’t know where to run.

A mysterious man shows up at her family’s beach house swearing to protect her at all costs. But Jac doesn’t quite know what to believe. With an arsenal of knives strapped to his body, and clothed from head to toe in black leather, he resembles the assassin she fears he is. Blade becomes her protector and lover in this deadly game, but it’s up to her to save him from the shadows that haunt him.

*

If you want to check out an excerpt, just go to my website and click on the cover on the "News" page.