RELEASE DAY BLITZ - COLLECTION - THE CUPID DATING AGENCEY by Celia Breslin

The CUPID Dating Agency

Angel Romance Collection 

Books 1-4

by Celia Breslin 

MEDDLING MATCHMAKERS LEAD TO HEAVENLY STEAM.

Four celestial warriors. Four potential mates. One tempting collection.

Welcome to The CUPID Dating Agency…

A WARRIOR’S KISS

The cupids nudge a stoic warrior and a commitment-shy introvert in the direction of true love, but hundreds of Hell’s servants intent on destruction and mayhem stand in their way…

Grumpy Sunshine * Opposites Attract * He Falls First

“A wild ride of action and sexy times!” —Virginia Nelson, USA Today Bestselling Author

A DEMON’S EMBRACE

With hell beasties on a rampage, the cupids team up a snarky rogue demon with a by-the book warrior-class angel for a partnership that might extend far beyond one job for Heaven.

Enemies to Lovers * Secret Crush * Forced Proximity

“Zara is a total badass, and I love Stryker’s banter and snarkiness. A marvelous read!”—Georgia Lyn Hunter, author of Fallen Guardians & Warlords of Empyrea series

AN ANGEL’S OBSESSION

Ordered by the cupids, a duty-bound angel must work with a Celtic storm god to resolve the mayhem he caused on Earth and in the Underworld, but that’s nothing compared to the god being her ex-boyfriend…

Second Chance * Forced Proximity * Immortal Pining

“A super-enjoyable read. Love the characters and the world!”—C. J. Burright, author of Druid Cursed & the Dreamcaster series

AN ANGEL’S TREASURE

When the meddling cupids try to keep a warrior angel and his baker bestie apart, it may take a miracle—or hundreds of party-crashing wendigos—to flip the friends into lovers…

Friends to Lovers * Secret Crush * Slow Burn

“Angelic sex was never so sinful, highly recommend!” —Virginia Nelson, USA Today Bestselling Author

The CUPID Dating Agency is a multi-author novella series intended for adult readers. This collection brings together all four CUPID Dating Agency stories by Celia Breslin, featuring wicked-smart heroines, big-hearted alphas, supernatural shenanigans, and steamy romance. Grab your copy today!

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Excerpts
 

A Warrior’s Kiss, Collection Story #1 in the novella collection:

 (Nicky and Zeke’s First Meet)

 
“Think he’s dead?” The whispered question quieted his internal whining.
Nice voice. Soft and smooth, like velvet. Feminine. Clearly, he wasn’t alone.
“He sure looks dead.” A second woman replied, louder and with a chuckle.
He suppressed a scowl and kept his eyes closed. She thinks this is funny?
Bodies shifted behind whatever his head had cracked into, edging closer to either side of him.
“There’s no blood, though,” she of the velvet voice murmured. “Shouldn’t there be blood? […].”
She came to a halt near his head, her body heat and peaches-and-honey scent saturating his senses. He should open his peepers and say something, see if the female looked as good as she sounded and smelled.
Shit. Where had that reaction come from? He had no room in his life for a woman, especially not a mortal woman.
“Maybe we should check for a pulse,” the one Peaches had called Maya suggested.
“I’m not touching his body.”
Fast reply from Peaches. Jesus, did he look so horrible? And double Jesus, why did her opinion matter? He must have hit his head harder than he imagined.

======

A Demon’s Embrace, Collection Story #2

(Stryker and Zara's Slow Burn)

Location: Charon's boat, River Styx, the Underworld...

 
The boat heaved upward as if struck from below, sending her airborne. Before she could conjure her wings, Stryker shot up and snatched her around the waist, hauling them both to the deck.
Flat on his back with her sprawled atop his hard body, he grinned, much too pleased with himself for her liking. “Told you it gets rough,” he shouted over the rush of water. “I never lie to you, Angel Face.”
“That in itself is a lie,” she shot back, wedging her fingers in the gaps between the bone flooring and gripping tight while the chopping river tossed their ride.
He laughed but the sound was lost in the great roar of the river.
“Buckle up, baby.” Stryker held her tight to his chest. The boat bucked upward and bashed down, again and again. Freezing water sprayed everywhere, drenching them in seconds.
Cheek to cheek, Stryker clutched her close with a hand cupping her head and one massive arm banded around her torso. “Hang on Angel Cake, I’ve got you.” Warmth slid into her quivering body, a soothing heat wafting from the demon. “Nice trick, right?” he murmured into her ear, lips grazing her skin.
Teeth chattering, she didn’t reply, too caught up in the sensation of his surprisingly soft lips on the shell of her ear.
Desire danced through her, followed fast by denial. No. Please, no. Eternal enemy. Archnemesis. But her treacherous body relaxed against his.
“Yes, baby. That’s it.” His hand slid to her nape, and he exhaled against the sensitive skin of her neck, setting off a flurry of butterflies in her stomach.
Nothing good could come of a tryst with a demon. It didn’t matter how loudly the hum chimed in her, or how wonderful his hard body felt under hers, they couldn’t possibly—
Oh, no, now his clever fingers kneaded the knots in her muscles, massaging the tension from her neck and shoulders, making her melt.
His warm lips brushed her ear once again. “Angel…”
Lord help her, she wanted him.
 

===========

An Angel’s Obsession, story #3

(Luke and Elle’s First Re-meet)

 
Luke was cannon-balled out of slumber by the sudden presence of one hundred-and-fifty pounds of hound landing on his back.
Facedown atop a supremely soft mattress with his arms stretched wide and his head hanging off the foot of the bed, it took him a second to rally his speech center. “What the actual bloody hell, Bolt?”
Bolt ignored him, bouncing around Luke’s body, pitching him side to side, up, down, up, down.
“For feck’s sake.” What the double bloody hell was Bolt on about with all the yapping and yipping and bashing of Luke’s kidneys with his big paws?
Luke rolled onto his back. “Enough, Bolt. Sit.”
Bolt whined and smacked one large paw down upon Luke’s bare chest. Ouch. “Duuude,” he drawled. “Chill.”
Fingers snapped, silencing his dog lickety-split.
Who possessed the ability to boss his animal around and convince the stubborn bugger to obey?
Only one person in any dimension wielded this kind of puppy power. But no, it can’t be her.
With his heartbeat jackhammering in his chest, he sucked in a deep breath, soaking in the unique floral scent of the woman who broke his rarely used heart, hoping this was no mere post-party hallucination.
“Gabrielle,” he whispered. God’s messenger and elite warrior, the angel he’d admired and cherished. “Elle.” The woman he’d let down, and who ultimately walked away.
A grin spread over his face.
“Angel baby. You’re here.” He cranked open his eyelids to gaze up at her in wonder.
Lightning crackled in the depths of her glittering green eyes as she loomed over him, her unhappy expression promising pain. Yep, his angel was clearly not as thrilled as he was about this unexpected reunion.
A snarl escaped his angel’s throat, and her arm shot downward, her fingers of steel snagging him by the throat and squeezing his windpipe.
“Luke.” She uttered his name as if it were the vilest curse word in any dimension, then lifted him with little effort and slammed him up against the wall…
 

================

An Angel’s Treasure, Story #4

(Raz and Maya in the Friend Zone)

 
Maya smacked into a wall of muscle.
“Raz!” She palmed his hunky chest and pushed.
He didn’t budge. Instead, he covered her hands with his much larger ones, trapping them against his pecs while he backed her against the fridge.
 
“Move.” Wow, that order came out more like a question, and good grief, could her voice sound any wispier? All breathy and needy? But damn it, touching him was doing all sorts of lusty things to her insides, again, and they were not in the right place or time to be—
Wait. Hold the horniness. There was never a right time for them. Friends. Friend Zone. The platonic zone.
Raz towered over her, his pretty eyes practically searing into her soul. “Hey, you all right?” His warm, warm fingers stroked the backs of her hands while the cold metal of the fridge sent goosies down her spine.
“I’ll be fine.” She yanked her hands out from under his and attempted to skirt around him, but he planted his stupid big hands against the fridge on either side of her, towering over her, caging her in.
Damn it, he smelled so good, like clove, pine, and citrus. “I need to check on the cookies.”
“No, you don’t. You just put in that batch.”
“Again, I ask, what do you know about baking? Zip, that’s what.”
“As much as I enjoy our banter, TT, something is up, and we’re not moving until you tell me.”
His expression softened. “Let me help.”
“I’m not some problem you need to fix.” She ducked under his arm. This time, he let her go, much to her relief. And to no small amount of disappointment.
She busied herself arranging the cooled batch of cookies on a platter.
“Maya.”
Oh, man. He said her actual name instead of one of the bazillion nicknames he seemed to have for her. She nibbled on the side of her lip and tore her gaze off the cookie pile to face the source of her never-ending torment.
Brow furrowed, he stared down at her, concern clear in his eyes. They always darkened to forest green when he was upset, which was a rare occurrence for the upbeat, positive man. Except when he was in battle mode, like the time a bunch of creatures from Hell invaded Petaluma, and Raziel made his fiery sword appear out of nowhere then killed every scary monster that tried to attack her—
Raz tapped her forehead with his index finger. “You’re thinking very hard. Too hard for a party. What’s going on in that clever mind of yours?”
“Nothing.”
“Mm-hm.” He scanned her face. “You have a little something on your…” His gaze locked onto her cheek, and before she could so much as blink, he stroked his thumb over her skin, right near her lips.
Lips that wanted to be kissed sooooo damn badly. By him.
Shit. She grabbed his wrist and opened her mouth to lay into him as hard as her bantering skills would allow, to stop herself before she snaked her hands around his neck and tugged his face closer to hers to kiss—
Chimes trilled.
The air around them warmed.
Fireworks burst to life near the vaulted ceiling, and a scroll winked into existence in an explosion of pink and gold sparkles.

Holy sugar sprinkles. The cupids had crashed the party.

Author Info

Celia Breslin lives in San Francisco, California, USA, with her family, including three feisty felines who like to stalk across her keyboard while she’s hard at work crafting urban fantasy, sci-fi and paranormal romances. Her current creature obsessions are wolf shifters, the Fae, vampires, warrior-class angels, and cyborgs, and her action-packed stories include some of her favorite tropes: fated mates, second chance, grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and more.

When not glued to her laptop, Celia likes to work out, read books (of course!), hang with her family, and binge-watch sci-fi and fantasy TV shows and movies. Matcha lattes keep her fueled for All The Life Stuff!

Website: http://www.celiabreslin.com       
Newsletter: https://BookHip.com/KZLGHQK   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeliaBreslinAuthor   
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BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/celia-breslin   
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CeliaBreslin 

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SPOTLIGHT - DARK FANTASY - SO BEATS A HOLLOW HEART: A Novella by B. M. Briar

So Beats a Hollow Heart: A Novella

by B. M. Briar

Date of Publication: August 18th 2026

Publisher: Attic Ebooks, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, LLC

Cover Artist: Covers by Sophie

Genre: Dark Fantasy/Gothic Horror/LGBTQ Fiction

ISBN: 978-1-965852-74-3 (print) 

ISBN: 978-1-965852-73-6 (ebook)

ASIN: B0GX36X53Q

Number of pages: 116

Word Count: 22,000 

Tagline: In a crumbling village of ghosts and grief, an assassin and a necromancer are drawn into a dangerous, intimate experiment to defy death—and loneliness.

BLURB

A gothic horror story about losing the love of your life, So Beats a Hollow Heart follows a nameless assassin—a member of the feared Bloodcloaks—sent to rid a village of the necromancer who has been stealing its young women.

What the assassin finds is not the monster she expects, but a woman deep in grief, desperate to find a new body for the soul of her dead lover.

After her third experiment ends in failure, the necromancer—Isolde—turns her attention to the assassin. Neither woman can anticipate how profoundly they will be changed by Isolde’s fourth and final experiment.

So Beats A Hollow Heart is the winner of the Cover Story Writing Contest, hosted by Nicole Frail Books, LLC

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Excerpt: 
I remembered the pain of transformation, if only as a haze of red and tearing muscle. I remembered the awful rasp of my canines being filed blunt and the burn of silver being placed over the stumps to keep my true nature at bay. I had gone through hell so that girls like this wouldn’t have to, and now I was failing her.
Isolde walked into my field of vision, blocking my view of the tortured girl and breaking me out of my spiral of self-pity; I folded up the memories and tucked them away with the others, shifting my focus to the present. Isolde’s arms were crossed, the tip of one boot tapping against the flagstones.
“This is very impressive. Look more impressed,” she demanded.
“Can I look horrified instead?”
Isolde huffed, childlike and thwarted.
“I suppose that will do,” she said. “You know, I was really counting on you to be more entertaining than George. Do they surgically remove your personalities when they pump you full of wolf’s blood?”
“I don’t know. Do they surgically remove your morals when you sign the Mage Registry?”
“Ha! I’ll have you know that several of my colleagues are terrible sticks in the mud and would take great offence at the suggestion. I’m quite certain they will stay within the bounds of safe magic use and never go even a little bit mad.”
“And you?” I ventured. “Have you gone a little bit mad?”
“Of course you would see brilliance and call it madness. If I do go mad, it’s because I have no one but a zombie to talk to. And George, I suppose.”
She smiled, just a little quirk of her mouth at one side as if the two of us were sharing a joke. I had never imagined that I would be gently needled by a target. I did not like it.
I would not say that I sulked. I had simply elected to end the conversation. It was in Isolde’s interest to keep me talking, I reminded myself: if I was talking, I was not thinking, was not planning. I needed to do both if I wanted to get myself and the girl to safety. I could come back for Isolde later. Or someone else could.
The problem was that, devoid of entertainment, Isolde had taken to scratching the bottom of a glass beaker with a scalpel. Her work was precise, careful, but the sound of sharp metal against glass scraped at my ears, interrupting all attempts at thought. I glared at her.
This was a mistake.
“I’m sure you must be wondering what I’m doing,” said Isolde, without looking up. 
“Not particularly.”
“I’m engraving the soul-binding runes into the base of this bottle.” She paused. “Aren’t you going to ask me why?”
“No.”
She was going to tell me anyway.
“I am engraving the soul-binding runes into the base of this bottle,” Isolde repeated, her voice heavy and her words overenunciated as if my disinterest was an obstacle she could overcome by sheer force. “So that I can recapture the soul, should the experiment fail.”

Author Info

B. M. Briar spent most of her childhood in fantasyland, whether that be immersed in a book or forcing her long-suffering dad to play pretend for entire weekends at a time. Little has changed over the past two decades, except that she’s given her dad a break and taken up DnD instead. 

Her work reflects her own experiences as a queer woman, is increasingly gothic, and always a little bit magic. She is the winner of the first Cover Story contest from Attic Books. So Beats A Hollow Heart is her debut novella. 

Outside of writing, she is a cat mum, a cross-stitcher, and a truly abysmal pole dancer.

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . B. M. Briar . . . 

LIGHTNING ROUND

What genre do you read?

I’m not completely wedded to one genre. Mostly I read fantasy and horror, with a smattering of sci fi, romance, crime and lit fic. 

What genre do you write?

With writing I stick mostly to fantasy, horror, and romance, although I have been known to pen a sci-fi short. In any case, it’s going to have a gothic vibe. 

What was the first book you fell in love with?

This is such a hard question! But I adored the Mr Majeika series by Humphrey Carpenter as a child—they really sparked my imagination. 

What was a book you said you would never pick up again?

As huge of an influence as it was on my childhood, I’ll never pick up Harry Potter again. As a member of the queer community I can’t lose myself in that world when its author has poured so much of her wealth into harming my trans siblings. 

Which fiction character do you love?

Ah! So many to choose from! I wrote my undergraduate dissertation on Brienne of Tarth from A Song of Ice and Fire, and she’ll always be in my heart. More recently I’ve been super into The Locked Tomb series and I’m batting my eyelashes at Pyrrha Dve. 

Which fiction character do you love to hate?

That’s got to be Littlefinger from A Song of Ice and Fire. 

Which fiction character do you hate?

I think for me to genuinely hate a character (rather than love to hate) they have to be neither compelling nor appealing. So dare I say almost every male character in ACOTAR?

What beverage do you drink while reading?

Love a little iced coffee/strawberry matcha/bubble tea. I’ve learned to make all of them at home for the sake of my bank account!

What do you snack on while reading?

Dried mango—the good kind from the Asian grocery. 

Have you always enjoyed reading?

Yes! I learned to read when I was three, so I’ve had my nose in a book for as long as I (or anyone else) can remember.

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SPOTLIGHT - LIMITED COLLECTION - LUNAR SEDUCTION PARANORMAL & FANTASY ROMANCE STORIES

Lunar Seductions

A Limited-Edition Collection of Paranormal and Fantasy Romance Stories

Date of Publication: October 6th 2026 

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance

Publisher: Carnal Imprint

ISBN: 1230010323847

ASIN: B0HHBR6G1N

BLURB

When the moon rises, desire follows.

Some lovers are chosen.

Some are destined.

And some are the kind you should run from, but where would be the fun in that?

Lunar Seductions brings together nine steamy tales of supernatural desire, dangerous attraction, and romance that refuses to play by mortal rules.

Lose yourself among shifters, monsters, psychics, goddesses, and other creatures of the night. Meet lovers bound by fate, trapped by circumstance, divided by old grudges, or drawn together despite every reason to stay apart.

There are secrets to uncover, enemies to tempt, boundaries to cross, and more than a few teeth and claws waiting in the dark.

Give in to temptation.

The moon won't tell.

Including stories by:

Stephanie Morris - USA Today bestselling author

Charmaine Louise Shelton

Nadine D. Price

Danika LaRue

Kiera Rose

Peyton Lawson

Celia Breslin

Ravyn Wilde

Ryan L Reeve 

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Diamond Moon Rising by Celia Breslin

Her wolf wants him. Her human side wants out.

After her last shift nearly kills her, human-wolf hybrid Darci has had enough—it’s time to stop shifting once and for all. Armed with a cryptic note from her dead shifter dad, she sets out in search of his mythical hometown in the wilds of Rogue Valley, Oregon, hoping Dad is right, and the shifters there might help.

As a dominant beta and pack protector, Ross is never taken by surprise…until a half-wolf half-human pixie with the biggest green eyes he’s ever seen lands on his doorstep. It’s rare for strangers to venture into their world—rarer still for a fated mate to literally fall into your arms. But she did, and he recognizes her immediately as his one and only.

Darci isn’t sure about the whole mate business. She just wants a normal human life, free from shifting. Ross won’t give up on her wolf and tries to help her accept her true nature and their mate bond. But the Full Moon is three days away, threatening Darci with a potentially deadly shift, and certain pack members would rather kill a human than help one. Darci might not survive long enough to trust Ross with her heart.

Excerpt from Diamond Moon Rising by Celia Breslin  
A thump from outside on his deck, heavier than the staccato taps of the hail, halted him in his foyer. More offbeat thuds sounded near the front door.
Company in this weather?
No one would venture up his private road uninvited…
He stalked to his door and released a bit of power in warning. If they were a shifter, they would likely take the hint. And if they didn’t… Well, he was a dominant wolf, a Beta, and one of the alpha’s enforcers.
They don’t stand a chance.
The feedback froze his fingers on the doorknob.
Female.
He inhaled. Damn, she smells good.
Human. Wolf.
Wait…both?
The copper tang of blood hit his nose. She’s injured.
He flung open the door and caught his visitor off guard, one small, white fist raised to knock. The woman startled then fell forward. Ross caught her in his arms then pulled her inside, kicking the door shut with one booted foot.
The petite female sagged against him, a shivering bundle of sopping wet woman. Underneath the dampness, her scent drop-kicked his gut.
Fresh and sweet, like apples dipped in cinnamon and honey.
His body perked up, taking extreme notice. A growl of possession threatened to tear out of his throat, and an ancient, primal energy stirred to life inside him, accelerating his pulse.
Holy hell, she’s my potential mate.
The scent of her blood spurred him into action. He lowered her gently to the floor. “Are you okay?”
His instincts urged him to check her for wounds everywhere, but he was a stranger and didn’t want to spook her. But goddamn, he wanted to touch her. Peel off her wet clothes. To see all of her and warm her with his body.
With a jacket covering her torso, baggy jeans hiding her legs, and a ball cap pulled low over her face, all he could see so far was her quivering pale chin, full red lips, and delicate, trembling fingers peeking out from her coat sleeves.
“S-s-sorry, d-dripping all ov-v-ver your f-f-floor,” she said, her teeth chattering.
Her snow-white fingers curled into fists, her arms trembling with the effort to keep herself upright. Blood droplets dotted the floor plank near her hip.
To hell with propriety. “You’re injured. Let me help you.” He pulled up her cap and damn near swallowed his tongue.
Big green eyes blinked up at him from a face so pale it made him think of moonlight. Drenched, short black hair lay plastered to her head, the ends framing features reminiscent of the fairies his sister loved to draw.
Ethereal beauty. Want her to be my beauty.
She flinched and batted his hand away. “Stop,” she rasped before listing to her side, her body trembling.
With the cold or fear?

He desperately didn’t want her to be afraid. “Sorry. Please, let me help you. I’m Ross. You’re safe here. I promise.”

Author Info

Celia Breslin lives in San Francisco, California, USA, with her family, including three feisty felines who like to stalk across her keyboard while she’s hard at work crafting urban fantasy, sci-fi and paranormal romances. Her current creature obsessions are wolf shifters, the Fae, vampires, warrior-class angels, and cyborgs, and her action-packed stories include some of her favorite tropes: fated mates, second chance, grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and more.

When not glued to her laptop, Celia likes to work out, read books (of course!), hang with her family, and binge-watch sci-fi and fantasy TV shows and movies. Matcha lattes keep her fueled for All The Life Stuff!

Website: http://www.celiabreslin.com       
Newsletter: https://BookHip.com/KZLGHQK   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeliaBreslinAuthor   
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celiabreslin/ 
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/celiabreslin.bsky.social 
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/celia-breslin   
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CeliaBreslin 

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SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - DARK COMEDY - MALABRAVA by Carol James Marshall

MalaBrava 

Carol James Marshall 

Date of Publication: August 1st 2026

Genre: Horror, Dark Comedy

ASIN: B0H12RB68Z

Number of pages: 241

Word Count: 58,477

BLURB

Welcome to Malabrava a town where the squirrels carry knives, the vampires have HOA problems, and the local mad scientist is still workshopping the perfect dick.

When Grizzy Del Monstruo isn’t decapitating problems or resurrecting boyfriends in her basement lab, she’s navigating family dinners, supernatural bureaucracy, and the inconvenience of having a moral compass. Around her, monsters bicker, humans wander in by accident, and nobody seems particularly concerned about the body count as long as it stays within city limits.

Malabrava is a brutally funny, deeply inappropriate adult dark comedy packed with gore, sex, monsters, and unhinged domesticity.

If you like your horror ridiculous, your comedy filthy, and your towns aggressively cursed, you’ve just found your new favorite place to never visit.

Amazon

Excerpt:
Griselda grew up in Malabrava. Her family founded the town. The streets, the smells, the houses, the people, and even the squirrels with knives run through her veins. She loves Malabrava and all its quirks.
Grizzy is a Del Monstruo. Not the youngest, not the oldest. She’s the middle-aged one. The Auntie. The one who never married, never wanted to. Grizzy’s the one people call when something needs to be handled. Because that’s what Grizzy does. Grizzy handles things.
Nobody asks how. It’s understood. Grizzy is what some might call sketchy with a heart of gold. She’ll go to war for the people she loves, and she has a clean, no-fuss method of decapitation for the ones she doesn’t.
She lives in the family home, dead center in the town of Malabrava. Her parents retired to a smaller place on the outskirts, saying they needed more land for at-home burials. Her sister Gracie prefers her condo near their parents. Gracie said that the convenient burial space is a plus. Makes cleanup easier.
They left Grizzy the house. You’d expect a gothic mansion, right? This is Malabrava, where things creep in broad daylight. A home for someone called Del Monstruo should come with bats, cobwebs, a gong, a butler who only groans, and a maid with wild frizzy red hair and access to the gong.
But no.
Grizzy’s grandfather was a modernist. Way ahead of his time. He wanted to be a supervillain, and in his mind, supervillains needed sleek, sprawling homes with underground bunkers, hidden rooms, and plans for a moat.
He never made it to “super.” He was a decent villain. He refused to recycle and regularly flipped off children, but he lacked the follow-through. He couldn’t commit to one evil scheme long enough to earn the title.
Grizzy’s grandmother was the true force. A science-minded woman with dangerous ideas. She adored the modern mansion. It gave her room for her lab.
That lab became Grizzy’s favorite place in the world.
Grizzy the fixer, the inventor, the one always tinkering away in her lab is deeply loved by her family. But her mother, a devout occultist with a dramatic streak, had other hopes. She wanted Griselda to be witchy. Ideally, a Voodoo Priestess. She always said Griselda looked striking in white. Though, in the end, she would’ve settled for a kitchen witch with a solid essential oil game.
Her father, a known vampire, had his hopes too. Gracie inherited the thirst. Gracie was the one born with a taste for blood.
But not Grizzy.
Instead, she snuck into her grandmother’s lab as a child. Touched everything labeled “Do Not Touch.” Sniffed everything marked “Hazard.” Dreamed of beakers and blueprints. She ignored every warning.
At twelve, she came out to the family as a Mad Scientist.
Her parents told her they loved her. Accepted her, a little reluctantly. Gracie grinned. She had another reason to be the favorite now.
They threw a family barbecue for her official announcement. The cousins came. The uncles, the aunts, the vaguely-related lurkers. Grizzy cut a cake shaped like a beaker and declared, “I’m a Mad Scientist, like Granny.”
There was a pause.
Some awkward glances.
Then applause.
The Del Monstruos were known for monsters...being them, birthing them, bargaining with them. But Grizzy wasn’t rattled by the hesitation. She knew the truth.
What was better than being a monster?

Inventing them.

Author Info

Carol James Marshall is a storyteller who loves serving up scary stories with and sometimes adds some laughs. 

Carol writes genre-bending horror packed with comedy, paranormal twists, sci-fi, and suspense. As a bilingual, low-vision author, she uses adaptive tech and bold fonts to bring her stories to life, crafting her books in English, Spanish, or sometimes both. 

When she isn't weaving nightmares or getting lost in an audiobook, Carol works as a medical coder and biller. Her journey spans from the sunny streets of Los Angeles, California, to the vibrant culture of Mexicali, Mexico, and she now happily calls Georgia home.

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Carol James Marshall . . . 

Q: How would you describe your style of writing to someone who has never

read your work?

A: Wow, that’s a difficult question for me. It’s almost like asking someone to describe themselves. When you do that, you are describing your own perception of who you are, not necessarily who you really are. 

So, I’ll answer with the word “hope.” I hope my readers will consider my work "NEW." New ideas, new concepts, and new themes. I want it to feel unpredictable, like something they have never seen or thought of before.

Q: Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?

A: I am a natural storyteller. I usually have at least three stories going on in my head, notes for 20 more books, and it never ends. I love a good story whether it’s written, on television or film, or over a cocktail with a good friend. Writing for me flows easily. I always have a story to tell.

Q: Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page?

A: The answer is yes and no. I think about my upcoming characters' lives, the way they think, and who they are in relation to the story, but it never feels like preparation. I simply mull it over while washing dirty dishes or brushing my teeth.

When I sit down to write, the story usually develops in blocks, each building on the last. The characters evolve in the same way.

I had zero plans for Gracie in MalaBrava. She simply happened, and she was so much fun to write.

Q: Do you people-watch to help with character development? Or do you build upon your characters during story creation?

A: I love people-watching, but that is not how my characters develop. I like to give each of my characters a distinct “vibe.” I use my personal experiences and overactive imagination to build upon that vibe as the story develops.

Q: Do you have a character you have been working on for a long time that still isn't quite ready, but that still excites you to work on the story?

A: Two of them: Manson and Letty. I have a vampire novel mapped out in my head. My two main characters are Manson, a clueless, average Joe who happens to cross paths one night with Letty, my sociopathic vampire. As you can imagine, nothing goes well for Manson. 

I think about those two and their intertwining stories often, even though I am currently writing a different novel.

Q: Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so, which one(s)?

A: Maybe not bonding, but I have my favorites. I love Ella from Ella is One of Many. Matea from my Santa Muerte series and Gracie from MalaBrava. Gracie, a vampire with ADHD, was so much fun to write.

Q: Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?

A: A serial killer in MalaBrava, Book 2, who is not very good at what they do. It is a concept I have been working on for a while. Think of it as gallows humor they are doing their damnedest to become a serial killer. Still, they cannot get organized enough to pull it off. 

Q: Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?

A: I’m currently halfway through writing my gothic horror novel, The Order of the Wicked. I read an autobiography about the life of a sequestered nun, and the concept of “evil nuns” eventually evolved into The Order of the Wicked. I plan to release it in the fall of 2028.

After that, I’ll begin writing MalaBrava, Book 2, because the MalaBrava series is such a good time to write. 

Q: What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?

A: I learned long ago not to give myself strict deadlines or put too much pressure on my writing. I have a full-time day job, so I write when I can. Since I do not earn an income from my books, I write my stories for pleasure when I have the time and feel inspired. I would like to publish two books a year, but if that does not happen, I do not stress about it.

Q: If you could have dinner/dinner party with 7 fictional characters, who would they be?

A: The Weasley’s. 

Q: If you could spend one week with 5 fictional characters, who would they be and where would you spend that time?

A: Not any particular character, but I would sign a lease to live in the world of The Other's by Anne Bishop. It's my favorite fantasy series. So cozy and wonderful.

Q: If you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern, and spend one full year. Where would you go and what would you do with this time?

A: I am a big fan of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix. His episode on Croatia took my breath away. I'm a water person. I love everything ocean, river, lake, stream, anything water. I would spend all my time swimming and being a mermaid.

Thank you Carol James Marshall for joining and giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated.

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