Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Commencement by Paige Cuccaro ~ Guuest Post & Giveaway

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Commencement (Hellsbane 0.5)


Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn for frat guys…

Emma Jane Hellsbane knows something evil is worming its way through her college campus—she can feel it. Literally. Her freakish ability to feel other people’s emotions as though they were her own has always been monumentally awkward, and it’s easier for her to just pretend it doesn’t exist. But this time her paranormal ability just might help her save lives.

Emma Jane’s fairly certain that whatever the hateful, egomaniacal, Godlike thing is, it’s set up shop inside her boyfriend, the frat boy/soccer star Justin. And if she doesn’t figure a way to get it out of him soon, Justin’s soul will be the appetizer to the main course—the whole student body. Problem is, the big baddy is granting sinister wishes, and with each one the risks grow higher and the phrase Be careful what you wish for becomes a real-life dire warning. Of course for Emma, what feels like it could be the end is in fact just the beginning…




I have a scene for you from Mihir's POV.  This isn't in the book and it's exclusive to StuckInBooks.  Enjoy!


Chapter One
God, I could smell her perfume, or maybe it was just her. Emma wasn’t the girly perfume type. But she smelled great-- vanilla and some kind of flowery sweet scent that made my head swim and my jeans tight. Damn.
“There’s something wrong with Justin,” she said.
“He’s possessed.” I cringed at my smartass answer. Couldn’t help it. I couldn’t even look at her, not until I could get my stupid thoughts in line. Emma wasn’t like most girls. Never mind she was hot as hell, but she was also psychic. She could feel other people’s emotions without even trying. Sucked for me, since I was stuck in Emma’s friends zone. Too bad for me I couldn’t stop picturing her naked every five minutes.
“I’m serious,” she said, her voice flat, un-amused.
Aw, hell. I was pissing her off. I didn’t want that. I sighed, mentally running through the coding for the antivirus program I was designing to get my thoughts off her body—then swiveled in my desk chair to face her. “Okay, then he’s just a jackass. It’s either one or the other.”
Oops. So much for not pissing her off. Whatever. I mean, we were talking about her dim-wit jock boyfriend. What did she see in that jerk, anyway?
“Knock it off. I need someone to talk to about this, okay?” she said. “I got a really weird feeling when I was with him last night. You know what I mean? Like I literally got a weird feeling.” She looked kind of freaked, her fingers nervously twisting the draw strings of Justin’s frat hoodie.
Who was the jerk now?
Of course I knew what she meant. I was the only one who knew about her gift. We were that close. Emma trusted me—trusted me enough to tell me all about her ability. And it wasn’t just because I grew up around this kind of stuff. My grandmother was a Hindu medicine woman and wasn’t afraid to dabble in the dark arts when she had to. She taught me everything she knew. Not so I could practice the craft, but so I could protect myself from it. But Emma and I would’ve been close even without my grandmother’s help. She doesn’t realize it yet, but I’m totally convinced we’re soul mates.
So what was I doing acting like her jerk faced boyfriend when she needed me? I’m an idiot, that’s what. I gave myself a mental kick and focused. “Oh. You mean Justin felt really weird, and you picked up on it?” Leaning forward, I braced my elbows on my lap. Emma totally snuck a glance at my arms and I flexed my biceps to see if she’d notice. She didn’t seem to. Weird. “What’d you feel?”
“I was cold all of a sudden,” I she said. “And at first it felt kind of slimy, like sleazy-slimy. I don’t know. It was just…wrong. And really gross.”
She slinked down onto the edge of my bed, her hands resting on my mattress. My bed. She was sitting on my bed. I blinked, trying hard to fight the urge to move over beside her, slide my hand to the small of her back, lean in and...
Friends. We’re friends. My face warmed and I glanced away. I don’t think she noticed. I cleared my throat. “Maybe you’re coming down with something. I’ve got a thermometer somewhere. I can practice my doctor skills on you.”
I smiled, but I not before the possibility that she might agree to play doctor with me flickered through my head. Her face paled, and she looked away like she’d just noticed my zipper was down. I wish.
It was way worse than that. I knew by her nauseous expression that she’d picked up on my emotions, felt the excitement heating through my veins, the blood rushing south where the evidence would be undeniable. Curse my potent male libido. I flattened my idiotic grin and mumbled, “Just kidding.”

About the author:

  
I live in Ohio, with my husband, three daughters, three dogs, and three cats, in an ever shrinking house. When I'm not writing I'm doing the mom thing with a book in one hand and a notepad and pen in the other. Ideas come without warning and for me, the best way to stimulate my imagination is to enjoy the imagination of someone else. 



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I have one eBook copy of Commencement to give away to one of you lovelies! Fill out the rafflecopter below.

 

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8 comments:

  1. Great excerpt!! Thanks for sharing!!

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  2. Really great excerpt! Will be looking out for this book! Thanks a lot for sharing this!
    - Farah @ MajiBookshelf

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  3. Is it just me or does the girl on the cover remind you of Avril Levigne?

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  4. Great excerpt. I've heard good things about Hellsbane. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. This sounds great. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  6. Great interesting excerpt, thanks for sharing

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  7. Nice. Came across this site while checking out some of my likes in facebook page. Thanks for sharing. :)

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