Spooky Legends: Jess Haines’s Shiarra Waynest on “Mothman”

**Visit Dark Faerie Tales today for her Spooky Legends Guest blog with Brenna Yovanoff and a chance to win THE REPLACEMENT**

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Some authors are just made of awesome: case in point, our Spooky Legends guest today Jess Haines. If you haven’t read Jess’s excellent urban fantasy HUNTED BY THE OTHERS yet then you don’t know what you’re missing.  Shiarra is the main character in the H&W Investigations series and Jess is here to tell us all about Shiarra’s (and lethally hot vampire Alec Royce’s) take on the “Mothman” urban legend and giveaway a signed copy of HUNTED BY THE OTHERS and 5 signed copies of the brand new anthology NOCTURNAL. See details below.

Jess Haines is a displaced New Yorker with a penchant for the silly, the obscure, and the fantastical. Los Angeles is home for the time being, since it consistently meets her daily quota of strange. She’s currently working on the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series. Find out more about Shiarra Waynest, drop her a line, or join her mailing list at www.jesshaines.com!

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Shiarra Waynest on the“Mothman”

by
Jess Haines

Hello there!  Jess Haines here.  I’m the author of the new urban fantasy HUNTED BY THE OTHERS, and its upcoming sequel TAKEN BY THE OTHERS (to be released January 4, 2011 by Kensington).  Shiarra Waynest, the lead character, and some of her friends are here to tell you a little bit about the Mothman.  Over to you, Shia!

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Shiarra: The Mothman?  I thought we were going to be talking about the Jersey Devil.

Arnold:  That one was taken.  

Shiarra:  Shoot.  Guess I should describe it.

Chaz:  Yeah, it’s sort of a regional thing.  Not too many people have heard of it.

Shiarra:  The Mothman was some creepy critter that ran around in the dark scaring people.

Royce:  Very descriptive, Ms. Waynest.  I’m sure the readers find that terribly helpful.

Shiarra:  Like to hear you give it a shot, Mr. High and Mighty.

Royce:  Fine.  It was a man-sized creature with grey skin, red eyes, and large wings that had been spotted several times in the woods of West Virginia back in the 1960’s.  Witnesses say it would mostly show itself near an abandoned factory, and would follow any cars that passed near its lair at night.  Despite numerous attempts to hunt it down, no one has been successful; it finds you, not the other way around.

Shiarra:  Sounds like a certain vampire I could mention.

Royce:  Very funny.

Chaz:  That seems kind of lame.  Did it do anything other than chase people?

Royce:  Not really.  

Arnold:  I dunno, I think the Mothman is pretty cool.  Reminds me of Arthur from The Tick.

Chaz:  Mothman Prophecies was a terrible movie.  That have anything to do with it?

Royce:  Someone made a movie about it?  I doubt it had any reflection on reality.  I’m sure the creature was just some Were running around in the dark, scaring people.

Shiarra:  A Were-moth?  Moth-Were?  What?

Arnold:  That sounds ridiculous.  I like the way you think.

Royce:  I wasn’t making an attempt to be clever.  It simply seems the most logical explanation.

Chaz:  I thought someone said it was a government experiment gone bad.

Shiarra:  Ohhh, like the X-Men!

Arnold:  I’m liking this Mothman thing more and more.

Royce:  You people are absurd.  It was some demonic, red-eyed creature.  It supposedly flew after fleeing cars at speeds of over one hundred miles an hour.  While I’m sure there’s some measure of exaggeration involved, it sounds like it must have been something supernatural to me.

Chaz:  Hey, speaking from experience, most Weres don’t fly.  And there’s no such thing as Were-bugs.  I bet it was just some dude in a rubber suit.  Maybe a Batman costume.

Shiarra:  Awesome!  

Arnold:  Oh, yeah.  With all the drugs people were doing back then, it could’ve been almost anything.

Shiarra:  I’ve heard rumors that it could have been anything from a real monster to a bird.  Nobody really knows.  The people in the town near the factory built a statue to it, though.  It’s in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where all the sightings supposedly happened.

Chaz:  When we go on that road trip next summer, we need to add that to the list of things to see.  Is it anywhere near the world’s largest chicken?

Shiarra:  No, that’s in Georgia.  I suppose we could swing that way on the way down.

Royce:  Right.  And I bet you’ll go see that on your way to visit the world’s largest chainsaw.  Why am I even here?

Arnold:  We’re seeing that on the way back.  It’s in Michigan.

Royce:  …

Chaz:  Ohhh, so is the world’s largest rifle!  Can’t wait to see that.

Shiarra:  Probably need it to shoot down the Mothman.  That thing’s supposed to be seven feet tall.

Royce:  Next we’ll be saying it breathes fire and shoots lasers from its eyes.

Arnold:  Wow, did the vamp just make a joke?

Royce:  Perhaps.  I’m finding this conversation too illogical to take seriously.

Shiarra:  You covering for something?  

Royce:  Hardly.

Arnold:  Methinks the vamp doth protest too much.

Royce:  You can’t be serious.  What would I have to do with it?

Shiarra:  Oh, I know!  Maybe Mothman was a vampire!

Arnold:  Possible.  Red, glowing eyes, only seen at night, hangs out in the backwoods of West Virginia—sounds like it could’ve been a feral vamp.

Royce:  First of all, no.  Second of all, vampires cannot fly.  While there are some natural laws we defy, gravity is not one of them.

Chaz:  Maybe not, but an elder vampire can run faster than a Were.  I bet you it was some vamp with a sense of humor dressed up in a cape and rubber suit running really fast after those people.

Royce:  What?  How could you even—

Shiarra:  I like this theory.  Let’s vote on it!  Everyone who agrees Mothman was a vamp, say aye!  Aye!

Chaz:  Aye!

Arnold:  Aye!

Royce:  Gods.

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So much for a creepy critter in the woods… You can learn more about Shiarra and the rest of her friends in HUNTED BY THE OTHERS

Thanks again for having me and the gang over, Abigail!

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Already looking forward to next time.  Thanks Jess!

Visit Jess Online:
Website|Blog|Facebook

Want to read more from Jess Haines?

H & W Investigations
1. Hunted By the Others (read my Review)
2. Taken By The Others (2011)
3. Deceived By The Others (2011)

Anthology
Nocturnal (read my Review)

Giveaway

Giveaway courtesy of Jess Haines
One signed copy of HUNTED BY THE OTHERS and 5 signed copies of NOCTURNAL by Jess Haines

 

HUNTED BY THE OTHERS Book Description

They are the Others—the vampires, mages, and werewolves once thought to exist only in our imaginations. Now they’re stepping out of the shadows, and nothing in our world will ever be the same again…

In A Town Like This, Being A P.I. Can Be Murder

Shiarra Waynest’s detective work was dangerous enough when her client base was strictly mortal. But ailing finances have forced her to accept a lucrative case that could save her firm—if it doesn’t kill her first. Shiarra has signed on to work for a high-level mage to recover an ancient artifact owned by one of New York’s most powerful vampires.

As soon as Shiarra meets sexy, mesmerizing vamp Alec Royce, she knows her assignment is even more complicated than she thought. With a clandestine anti-Other group trying to recruit her, and magi being eliminated, Shiarra needs back-up and enlists her ex-boyfriend—a werewolf whose non-furry form is disarmingly appealing—and a nerdy mage with surprising talents. But it may not be enough. In a city where the undead roam, magic rules, and even the Others aren’t always what they seem, Shiarra has just become the secret weapon in a battle between good and evil—whether she likes it or not…

Click HERE to read the first chapter of HUNTED BY THE OTHERS.

NOCTURNAL Book Description

"The Phoenix Project" by Jacquelyn Frank. Held captive, Amara is subjected to bizarre experiments that test the limits of her sanity. But nothing prepares her for being locked away - naked - with a sexy ex-cop...after they've been pumped full of drugs that increase their sexual appetites to animalistic intensity..."Crystal Dreams" by Kate Douglas - When Lemurian Guard Darius chases a demon spirit to Earth, he faces a lethal battle between good and evil. His ally is Mari, a breathtakingly beautiful human who unknowingly holds the key to victory. But before the war is over, Darius' desire for his mortal companion threatens to erupt - and could cost Mari her life..."Spark of Temptation" by Jess Haines - Blackmailed into taking a treacherous case, P.I. Sara Halloway is thrust into a demon war. Sara seeks guidance from a charismatic mage, but their hunger for one another soon becomes a deadly distraction...and the danger surrounding them only makes their urges more powerful..."My Soul to Take" by Clare Willis - New Orleans native Dr. Maggie Dillon thought she left her past behind her - until she's enraptured by a handsome patient who has been possessed by a malevolent spirit. To find a cure, Colby revisits her magical roots - and unleashes a primal lust too vital to ignore...

Giveaway Guidelines

1. Open Internationally
2. Fill out the form
3. Enter by November 6th. All Spooky Legend winners will be announced on November 7th

I would greatly appreciate if you shared this giveaway on your blog or favorite social networks.  And please tell Jess what you think about “Mothman” in the comments. Thanks!

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