This week Abigail and I have the opposite of a “perfect game” going on. There are many titles that received unanimous approval, but we also have a perfect record of asynchronous thumbs down going on. Not one title got two thumbs down this week. In a few instances, we mentioned the exact same detail and then went our separate ways (my favorite is the battle axe rock star). Feel free to chime in an help us break all these ties.
Jessica Andersen is here today as we near the end Spooky Legends to lend us one of her uber hot Nightkeepers from her Final Prophesy urban fantasy romance series (the fifth book, BLOOD SPELLS will be released on November 2nd) and Jessica here to tell us all about Lucius’s take on the “Wendigo” urban legend and giveaway a prize pack of autographed copies of DEMONKEEPERS and BLOOD SPELLS & some rocking Mayan spiced chocolate. See details below.
Jessica S. Andersen is an American writer of mystery and medical romances. She obtained a PhD in Genetics, but when she finally settles on a single career, she will have been many things: a doctor of molecular genetics, a patent agent, a freelance editor, a professional horse trainer and riding coach, a fiancé and the proud owner of a pair of corgis. But if you ask her who she is, Jessica will say, "I'm a writer. The rest is all background research." Jessica lives in a small farm in eastern Conneticut with her own personal hero, Brian, as well as the corgis, two cats and a handful of young horses, who she claims are investments but never seem to get sold.
Hi everyone! (waves)
Author Jessica Andersen here. Thanks for joining Lucius and me here today at Spooky Legends, and a big thanks to Abigail for inviting us! The Novels of the Nightkeepers tell of the race to the 2012 doomsday, when Mayan lore and modern science warn of a global cataclysm, and dark forces stand poised to crush mankind. Our only hope rests with a secret group of modern magic-wielders called Nightkeepers, who gain their full powers by finding and winning their destined mates. NIGHTKEEPERS, DAWNKEEPERS, SKYKEEPERS and DEMONKEEPERS are available now, and the fifth book in the series, BLOOD SPELLS, will be in stores this coming Tuesday, November 2nd! BLOOD SPELLS is the story of married parents Patience and Brandt White-Eagle. Estranged, they are forced to reunite when an ancient Aztec god-king arises and threatens the barrier between the earth and underworld. But soon the danger turns personal, becoming a test of their powers ...and the love they once shared! Today, though, I asked Lucius (hero of DEMONKEEPERS) to join us by webcam because, well, this is right up his alley. He’s Skywatch’s resident geek and the guardian of the Nightkeepers ancient library. More, he’s all about myths and legends, Indiana Jones stuff, and figuring out how ancient spells and curses work in modern day. That’s part of what makes him indispensable for the Nightkeepers. The other part is that he’s got magic of his own, and he and his mate, Jade … well, they’re pretty much unstoppable together! So, Lucius … take it away! *** “Thanks, I think I will!” Lucius leans into the frame of the webcam. “Hi everyone!” He’s big and built, but the way his brown hair flops over his forehead makes him more likable than intimidating. Though he could definitely be intimidating if he tried. He’s sitting at a stone table. In the background are cave walls are carved into scenes of ancient scribes hard at work, and there are racks of books and artifacts. A statue of a jaguar is over in the corner; water is coming from its mouth to fall in a bowl between its paws, where a couple of beers are chilling, and a second bowl on its head holds bread of some sort … along with a couple of donuts and a bag of Cheetos. Lucius gets a glint in his hazel eyes as he asks in a zombie voice, “Can you say BRAAAINS??? Bwa ha ha!” Leaning back, he grins. “Or maybe eyeballs? Or, heck, the body part of your choice. Because today we’re talking about wendigos, the patron saints (er, so to speak) of cannibalism. “Many of the tribes native to what became the Northern US and Canada told stories about terrible monsters that looked like men, sometimes very tall, but always emaciated and gray-skinned, with sunken eyes and oozing skin, and smelling of decay. The wendigo lived on human flesh, embodied greed and gluttony, and were always searching for their next victim. Worse, human beings could transform into wendigo if they became cannibals, or if they got greedy.” He pauses, then says reflectively, “The thing I find coolest about this monster isn’t the monster itself, really, but its function: The wendigo was a badass boogieman designed to keep people from eating each other during famines, especially in the winter. “Now, I grew up in the Midwest where the winters could get very long and very cold. By the time spring rolled around, my brothers and sisters and I were usually feeling pretty stir-crazy, even though we had heat, food, TV and stuff. I can only imagine what it must’ve been like to try and survive in the far northern territories without those luxuries … and I can see why the ancients would need a ‘don’t eat each other, or else’ threat. In fact, cannibalism was a huge taboo in these tribes, more so than among most of the people living in easier climates. “For example, the Maya, who lived way south of wendigo territory, practiced a metaphorical form of cannibalism: They let their own blood, mixed it into maize dough, formed the dough into human figures, and then cooked and ate them. This either returned the blood to its originator or allowed the blood to be shared, forming ritual bonds. Or, if the dough people were sacrificed to the gods, it was a way of returning human blood to the gods as repayment for the gods having shed their blood to create mankind. The Maya were big into things being cyclical and history repeating itself … and for that matter, so are the Nightkeepers.” He grins, eyes sparking again. “I don’t think I necessarily think we need to be looking out for wendigo in our back yards this Halloween—times are tough, but there’s always the dollar menu at McDonald’s, right? But how about a little all-in-good-fun cyber-wendigo-ing to ring in All Hallow’s Eve? So tell me … who would you vote in as ‘most likely to become a wendigo,’ either because they’re greedy or because you think they would be the first to take a bite out of a friend, family member, or coworker? “I’ll start: I volunteer my thesis advisor’s ex-husband. I’m not going to name names—cough, cough, DICK—but seriously? He’s someone who would be improved by turning into a rotting-corpse monster, and maybe he’d even learn a lesson or two from it. Okay, probably not, but a guy can hope, right?” He glances off the screen, then back. “Right. I almost forgot: Everyone who posts a comment is entered to win books and chocolate. And how can you go wrong with that?? So let’s hear it: Who is your ‘most likely to become a flesh-eating cannibal monster this Halloween’?”Thanks Jessica. Come back anytime!
Visit Jessica Online:
Website |Facebook
Want to read more from Jessica Andersen?
Paranormal titles
Final Prophecy
1. Nightkeepers
2. Dawnkeepers
3. Skykeepers
4. Demonkeepers
5. Blood Spells (read my Review)
On the Hunt (2011) 
Intrigue titles
Internal Affairs
Mountain Investigation
Snowed in with the Boss
Manhunt in the Wild West
With The M.D....At The Altar?
Twin Targets
Dr.’s Orders
Meet Me At Midnight
Classified Baby
Prescription: Makeover
Under the Microscope
Red Alert
Rapid Fire
At Close Range
Ricochet
Bullseye
The Sheriff's Daughter
Covert M.D.
Body Search
Intensive Care
Sealed with a Kiss
Dr. Bodyguard
Giveaway courtesy of Jessica Andersen
A prize pack of autographed copies of DEMONKEEPERS and BLOOD SPELLS & some rocking Mayan spiced chocolate.
According to Mayan doomsday prophecy, 12/21/12 marks the end of the world in a global cataclysm that can only be prevented by the Nightkeepers, magical warriors enlisted to fight the rise of the underworld demons. To fulfill the final prophecy the Nightkeepers must find their mates, but when Lucius and Jade are charged with rescuing the Mayan sun god, they try to ignore their growing attraction. Unless they can confront their own demons and accept that love isn't a weakness, even destiny might not be able to save them...
Mayan lore and modern science warn that 12/21/2012 will bring a global cataclysm. Dark forces stand poised to crush mankind. The only hope rests with a secret group of modern magic-wielders called the Nightkeepers. But as Patience White-Eagle and her husband, Brandt, team up as a mated warrior pair, they will face a deadly threat that will test their powers-and their love...
Click HERE to read an excerpt from BLOOD SPELLS
Giveaway Guidelines
I would greatly appreciate if you shared this giveaway on your blog or favorite social networks. And please tell Jessica what you think about “Wendigos” & answer the question she asked in the comments. Thanks!
Interested in guest blogging on All Things Urban Fantasy? CONTACT ME
Title: Blood Spells
Author: Jessica Andersen
Series: Final Prophesy #5
Cover Art: N/A
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Signet
Date Published: November 2, 2010
ISBN-10: 0451231651
ISBN-13: 978-0451231659
Review Copy Source: Jessica Anderson
Reviewed by: Abigail
Trained from birth to fight with fists and magic, Patience knows that she should focus on the coming war for souls. But she isn’t just a warrior—she’s a wife and mother too, which leaves her loyalties divided between the Nightkeepers and her family.
Brandt broke the rules when he married Patience and fathered their twin sons—and now he’s paying the price. Torn between his magic and his marriage, and separated from his ancestors’ wisdom by a curse he can’t remove, Brandt is fighting to put his life back together.
When an ancient Aztec god-king arises, Patience and Brandt must set aside their problems and team up as a mated warrior pair. But as they race to prevent the Nightkeepers’ enemies from enacting a terrible ritual that could tear apart humanity, the threat turns even more personal, becoming a deadly test of their powers … and their love.
Mythology junkies like me are in for a sweet treat with BLOOD SPELLS the latest book in the Final Prophesy series about the Nightkeepers, a group of warrior mages whose duty it is to keep demons trapped in the underworld, because the entire series is based on the myths of the Mayan Empire, specifically the 2012 Doomsday prophesy. Anderson shows off a skillful understanding of Mayan lore and weaves a very complex world together in her action packed paranormal romance.
The larger story deals with the Nightkeepers rush to stop an Aztec demon from breaking out of his prison and destroying all life on earth. The more intimate story involves Patience and Brandt’s journey to revive a love they’ve long since lost. Many of the scenes between them had a Time Traveler's Wife quality to them as they magically revisited moments from their lives including the one night neither of them can remember: the night they met.
Although each book focuses on a new couple, long time fans of the series will have an edge on us newbies as there is a lot of information to absorb in a very short amount of time. Extensive character histories, intricate magic systems, and a complex mythology based on a real historical culture. There is a glossary in the back that was extremely helpful, but even being somewhat familiar with Mayan mythology, I found it challenging to keep up.
If you’re looking for an elaborate world system based on the bloody but fascinating Mayan mythology (with a demonic twist), an epic second chance romance, with plenty of supporting characters, then BLOOD SPELLS will be like Christmas coming early. I’m intrigued enough that I’ll be starting back with the first Final Prophecy book, NIGHTKEEPERS, while waiting for STORMKISSED in June 2011.
Sexual Content: Several graphic sex scenes
My Rating:
3/5
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.
Click HERE to read an excerpt from BLOOD SPELLS
Previous books in the series:
Also reviewed by:
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