Just in time for Christmas! I've got the wonderful Zrinka Jelic hanging out with us today! And not only is she kicking back for a bit with a glass of wine and a plate of tasty cookies, she's also kind enough to share a piece from her recent Christmas novella, Deck the Halls. So Zrinka? Take it away, my dear!
No matter how hard
I tried to write about The Most Wonderful
Time of the Year, and no, I’m not talking about back to school, my thoughts
kept drifting to sad side of the Christmas. To those who won’t be so fortunate
to spend this Special Time Of Year
with their loved ones, or to those struck with hard times. And how could they
not with everything that’s happening in the world? So to Shake Up (my) Christmas
happiness, I turned to music. Because All
I Want For Christmas Is You to be happy and cheerful.
Since Santa Clause is Coming to Town, I better
watch out, not cry or pout. You know he sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows
when you’re awake. Kids already cannot wait for Christmas as the city streets
are turning into Winter Wonderland.
Holidays Are Coming and I hope they find
you in a good spirits. And if the weather outside is frightening, stay safe and
cozy by the fire that’s so delightful, and Let
It Snow. But if you’re Dreaming Of a
White Christmas, at least you are someplace warm and sunny.
So here’s to the Last Christmas, present and future.
Let’s raise a glass and make this holiday cheer last all year.
I leave you now,
in better mood than I found you I hope, with a blurb and an excerpt from my
newest release “Deck the Halls”, a paranormal Christmas novella.
Enjoy!
BLURB
It isn’t the string of crappy jobs, or people’s
irrational urge to spend their money, or even his inability to ask Julie out on
a date that Zach can’t get excited about Christmas. It is the fact that today
is his last day he gets to spend in his preferred human form.
When jealous Tia, a wicked sorceress disguised as the pack’s alpha female, tries to force his wolf out a day early, all-consuming anger sends him into a rage against her. She punishes shape shifter Zach, by changing him to a dog. He has 48 hours to save his family and trade his life for someone else’s in order to break the spell—the only problem, Julie’s cat Miss Molly knows who he is and won’t let him near her owner. But Julie’s safety is the greatest importance and he sticks by her side.
Julie can’t resist falling in love with the stray dog she rescues. She prolongs putting a found dog ad in the local newspaper just to keep him for another day. Strange thing is, the animal reminds her of Zach.
Confronted with the woman who stole the man she secretly loves, Julie discovers the truth about Zach. When his dog form proves useless against the powerful alpha werewolf, the help comes from unforeseen allies.
When jealous Tia, a wicked sorceress disguised as the pack’s alpha female, tries to force his wolf out a day early, all-consuming anger sends him into a rage against her. She punishes shape shifter Zach, by changing him to a dog. He has 48 hours to save his family and trade his life for someone else’s in order to break the spell—the only problem, Julie’s cat Miss Molly knows who he is and won’t let him near her owner. But Julie’s safety is the greatest importance and he sticks by her side.
Julie can’t resist falling in love with the stray dog she rescues. She prolongs putting a found dog ad in the local newspaper just to keep him for another day. Strange thing is, the animal reminds her of Zach.
Confronted with the woman who stole the man she secretly loves, Julie discovers the truth about Zach. When his dog form proves useless against the powerful alpha werewolf, the help comes from unforeseen allies.
EXCERPT
Tia approached with slow steps. He panted. Would she finish
him off?
“Such insolence deserves a special punishment. What did you
hope to gain by this pathetic attempt?” Her sinister laugher ended in a long
sigh. “Let me see, what to do with you? Hmm… what I set out to do before your
overconfidence got the worst of me. If you can’t be a man, then be his best
friend.”
She muttered some intangible chant. Golden fur sprouted on
his front legs. What the hell? Silver, his fur was silver not golden. He wagged
his bushy tail and a sudden, unexplainable desire for someone to throw a stick
for him to retrieve overtook his mind. Wait a minute, focus man, something
is terribly wrong here. He tried to growl. Instead a deep bark escaped his
throat. A dog! The bitch turned him into a frigging dog. What sorcery was this?
“That’s much better.” Tia licked her muzzle and turned away
from him.
“Damn it, Tia, undo this.” He barked after her, but she only
sped away, her menacing laughter echoing in the foggy parking lot.
“Perhaps your witchy little sister knows the contra spell.”
Tia’s words bounced in his head just before the darkness swallowed her.
Lexa! Yes, she studied magic, but would her powers break
Tia’s spell? He darted away, summoning his sister through their special sibling
connection. His Goddess wasn’t protecting him this night, but if Luperca had
any mercy, maybe, just maybe his sister might be able to find someone who could
break Tia’s curse and free him of this ridiculous form.
He meandered through the crowd of people hugging their
shopping bags.
“There’s a dog without a collar loose.” A man shouted,
picking up a small boy in his arms. “Someone should call animal control.”
Zach scampered away and stuck to the empty streets away from
any shopping malls or crowded plazas. Once he cleared the city, he opened up
into a free run across the thin layer of snow on a farmer’s field. He paced at
the edge of the copse, calling Lexa by emitting shrill whimpers. Had Tia or her
bullies gotten to his sister? If Lexa couldn’t meet him, he might end up living
in dog’s body forever.
A
member of the Romance Writers of America and its chapter Fantasy Futuristic &
Paranormal, as well as Savvy Authors, Zrinka Jelic writes contemporary
fiction—which leans toward the paranormal—and sometimes adds a pinch of
history. Her characters come from all walks of life, and although she prefers
red, romance comes in many colors. Given Jelic’s love for her native Croatia
and the Adriatic Sea, her characters usually find themselves dealing with a fair
amount of sunshine, but when it rains, it pours.
Pick up a copy of Deck the Halls today!
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