N.D. Jones Guest Blog for
Fang-tastic
“Of Fear and Faith” is the first
book in my Death and Destiny Trilogy. Dr. Sanura Williams and Special Agent
Assefa Berber are the heroine and hero of the three-part story. They are,
without a doubt, my Power Couple. As such, I wrote my novel from a dual point
of view—giving internal and external voice to the two main characters.
I don’t know about you, but I love
dual point of view in a romance novel. I want to get into the head and heart
of, not only the heroine but the hero as well. I enjoy balance in a story’s
narration, the hero’s thoughts, feelings, and opinions no more important than
the heroine’s and vice versa. Dual points of view in a romance novel adds an
emotional depth and character understanding that isn’t as easily achieved with
a single point of view. And, come on, there’s something undeniably sexy about reading
a love scene from the man’s point of view, especially when he’s describing what
the female is doing to him and how it makes him feel. There’s a sensual
equality in such narrations that I find enjoyable to read and to write.
So, as part of this guest post, I’ve
created a special music playlist for “Of Fear and Faith.” It’s special because
it includes great musical duets of love, sex, and passion—dual points of view
at its musical finest. So if Sanura coos to Assefa,
Hey baby how you doing tonight
I wanna let you know
I wanna tell you just how I feel
I wanna love you baby
And it’s going so right
I wanna burn a candle
Turn the darkness to the light
do you not want to know what’s
inside Assefa’a heart? Do you not want to know what’s on his mind? Well, I know
I do.
Hi baby, won’t you tell me the truth
You wanna be the one
You can’t stay away
Oh, hey darling
Don’t make no excuse
We can chase this on
And burn the hole inside you.
Sanura and Assefa’s duets are
magical, mystical, and oh so passionately rhythmic, prophetic, and fearfully
powerful. Awaken your senses and embrace the pleasure of paranormal romance—the
beginning of Assefa and Sanura’s love story.
Of Fear and Faith
Death and Destiny Trilogy
Book 1
N.D. Jones
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Siren-BookStrand Publishing
Date of Publication: July 22, 2014
ISBN: 1632583747
ASIN: B00MTW85Q8
Number of pages: 288
Word Count: 101,566 words
Cover Artist: Harris Channing
Book Description:
Before trust and love can take hold, grow solid roots, and blossom into a reality larger than self, fear must be conquered and faith embraced. Yet fear of an ancient prophecy, of burning magical power, and a broken heart, Sanura Williams, psychology professor, is unprepared when Special Agent Assefa Berber enters her life, hunting a preternatural serial killer. Assefa's intelligent, chocolate eyes and intoxicating aura signature stirs her fire spirit but frightens the woman.
In a world where all is not as it seems, Sanura and Assefa must battle the gods' first creations - vile predators who threaten the safety of humans. Each confrontation, each bloody clash, will bring Sanura and Assefa closer to fulfilling the prophecy of being the Fire Witch and Cat of Legend - the ones who will save humanity from the Water Witch of Legend. Death, godly magic, and physical attraction draw Sanura and Assefa to each other, but fear and faith will determine their destiny.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/g_QvkLjHEIo
Excerpt:
She
watched Makena exit the room and make a right. The hallway led to the stairs
that would take Makena to the second level and to her bedroom. Two minutes
later, a solidly shut door was heard, a door that never required that much
force to close.
After
the clear dramatics, they moved to the living room, Sanura acutely aware there
was no third person for her to play off of. Then the guilt came. She’d ignored
it all evening, but with Assefa’s sweet, brown eyes gazing down at her, Sanura
had to say, “I’m sorry about today. You drove all the way from Baltimore to pay
me a visit and we didn’t even have time to talk before we were interrupted.”
She really didn’t want to rehash the uncomfortable moment in the lecture hall,
but she also didn’t want Richard hanging between them either. Whatever was
happening between them—and, yes, something was happening—Sanura wanted, no
needed, Assefa to understand that Richard no longer mattered.
“No
need to apologize. I had a status meeting with my division chief in DC, and
College Park is almost around the corner. I should be the one to apologize for
showing up unannounced and expecting you to drop everything to have a bite to
eat with me.”
Calm.
Flatly stated.
“Lunch
would’ve been nice, but still—”
Assefa
waved another apology away and made his way to the front door, grabbing his
suit jacket off the coat hook once he reached the foyer. He slid into the fine
garment, the movement graceful yet quick.
He
didn’t seem upset, but the good humor he’d displayed earlier was gone, the
beginnings of that damn mask reforming and slipping back into place. Walls.
Sanura hated them. Helped her patients dismantle them. Hell, she had her own.
Yet the wall Assefa was so carefully constructing bothered her.
She’d
followed him to the door. “Since you refuse my apology, at least let me take
you to dinner tomorrow. Have you been to the Inner Harbor?”
“I
haven’t had time to take in Charm City, too busy trying to catch that damn adze
and too tired to do anything other than sleep on my days off.”
“Good,
then I’ll be happy to show you downtown Baltimore, avoiding the strip clubs, of
course. Unless you’re into that type of thing,” she teased, hoping to break
through his wall. His shocked expression told her she’d scored a direct hit.
“You aren’t the only one who can—”
He
kissed her.
Spontaneous
and shocking, it momentarily left Sanura paralyzed, unresponsive.
But
as his soft lips gently caressed hers, her lower brain functions finally took
over, compelling Sanura to return the unexpected—but so damn nice—kiss. It was a short, undemanding kiss, serving
more to test the waters than to ignite a flame. But he tasted so good, much better than any man had a
right to. Spice and mint mingled in an exotic cocktail of irresistible were-cat
maleness.
Assefa
leaned further into her, and placed a kiss on her cheek as he’d done on the
front porch two weeks ago. Then he trailed those plump, sensuous lips down her
neck and deeply inhaled.
Sanura’s
hands flew to his waist, and pulled him closer with each maddening lungful he
took of her. And he took many deep, arousing breaths that sent an electrical
charge cascading through Sanura’s body, settling in her core—heavy and hot.
“You
still smell wrong,” he finally said, head tucked in the crook of her neck, hot
breath inviting more than a verbal response. “I need to know what the real you
smells like.” Not quite a demand but neither a plea.
“That’s
part of the ritual.” She nearly moaned the words as the intensity of their
auras so close together increased with every second they stayed in each other’s
arms. Made worse or better, depending on how she looked at it, each time his
tantalizing lips found her pulsing neck.
About the Author:
N. D. Jones lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. Having earned a M.A. in Political Science, she is a dedicated educator. She taught high school social studies for nine years. Currently, she is a professional development specialist with a local Maryland school system, working on increasing student achievement through teacher and administrator efficacy. N.D. is also a continuing education student who is pursuing her doctorate in education in Community College Leadership.
A desire to see more novels with positive, sexy, and three-dimensional African American characters as soul mates, friends, and lovers, inspired the author to take on the challenge of penning such romantic reads. She is the author of two paranormal romance series: Winged Warriors and Death and Destiny. N.D. likes to read historical and paranormal romance novels, as well as comics and manga.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NDJones
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NDJones11
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ndjones001
Posts
2 comments:
Thank you so very much for the opportunity to write a guest post on Fang-tastic Books. Creating a music playlist for "Of Fear and Faith" was a great way to reconnect with my novel and to share, with your readers, what makes Sanura and Assefa such a romantic, powerful, and lovable heroine and hero.
Sincerely,
N.D. Jones
Post a Comment