Mojo Queen guest, contest, and blog tour

Night Life

By Sonya Clark 

Daniel Rambin is a vampire, but he's not like other vampires. For one thing he's the sidekick and not the love interest in Mojo Queen, best friend and ancestor to paranormal investigator Roxie Mathis. Instead of being a brooding jailbait-obsessed Hot Topic reject, Daniel is charming and fun to be around. He adds generous shots of blood to his mixed drinks and misses eating, being a big fan of the Food Network. He likes to tag along with Roxie on her ghost eviction cases, even helping out. Like Roxie he loves music but whereas she's a blues fan, Daniel loves classic country. It's easy to envision him at a karaoke bar, belting out some off-key Conway Twitty number at the top of his lungs, flashing a smile at Roxie that bared just a hint of fang.

He may be atypical for a vampire, but he is still a vampire. There came a point in Mojo Queen when I knew that needed to be shown and it chilled me to write the scene. Suddenly I began to see Daniel in a new light. I stopped thinking of him as a wacky sidekick, a character I made up just for a laugh. The more I thought about him the more I wondered about that seemingly goofy choice to make him a fan of classic country. I strongly associate country music with family. Roxie's “living” family want nothing to do with her. Her ability to see auras and spectral energy, her magical practice as a hoodoo root worker, and her business as a paranormal investigator are all things her family cannot accept. Daniel is all she's got. Family are supposed to be the people you can trust the most, and Daniel is that to her. But he - like family - is also the one who could hurt her the worst. There's a lot of cheese in classic country, but when you look below the surface there's a lot of darkness too. A lot of murder ballads hidden under the beer soaked cheatin' songs. Without even trying, I had found the perfect music to correspond to Daniel.

That darkness is part of what brings Roxie and Daniel together. They share a deep bond in their love of the night, the ease they both feel in the spirit-filled dark. Daniel doesn't have to hide his fangs and Roxie doesn't have to hide her abilities. They are open with each other but Daniel still hasn't told Roxie everything about his past. Sometimes when he grabs hold of my imagination and whispers possibilities to me, I think about Daniel's history. His life as a man, his transition to vampire, and what led him to seek out any descendents. Daniel may not be the protagonist or the love interest of Mojo Queen but he is deeply important to Roxie. As I've explored his character more he's become deeply important to me, too. He's one of my favorite characters I've created so far.

As I compiled a playlist of songs that helped inspire me as I wrote Mojo Queen, I found Daniel's song with ease. Night Life by Willie Nelson seemed perfect for him. “The night life ain't no good life / but it's my life.” Daniel is a charmer, a sweet Southern gentleman. But he is fiercely protective of his best friend and descendant. Anyone tries to hurt her is guaranteed to see Daniel's fangs - without a smile.

Book Information:

Hoodoo and high magic are on a collision
course.

Roxanne Mathis isn't like everyone else. Not
only can she see auras and spectral entities,
she can mix herbs and roots for spells to do
good or ill. She can even light a candle
without the benefit of a match. But when
she’s hired to exorcise a demon from a
young girl, she discovers the limits of her
powers.

With her vampire cousin at her side and a
sexy sorcerer chasing her on the rebound,
Roxie sets out to send that evil entity back to
where she came from.

Nothing is as it seems and Roxie’s in over
her head. It’s not going to be enough for her
to just be a paranormal investigator and old
school root worker – to defeat this demon,
she’s going to have to be the Mojo Queen.

Buy Links:

Direct from Lyrical Press:
http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=81&products_id=328

 Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Mojo-Queen-ebook/dp/B004YXF0M2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1304399499&sr=1-3 

Barnes and Noble:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Mojo-Queen/Sonya-Clark/e/9781616502713/?itm=1&USRI=mojo+queen

Fictionwise:
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b123217/Mojo-Queen/Sonya-Clark/?si=0

Excerpt:

I sat in the chair opposite the loveseat, placing the candles on the coffee table. Glanced at him
to make sure I still had his attention, which of course I did. One side of his mouth still curled up
in a smirk, eyebrow quirked. I sat back, let myself sink into the comfy chair and relax as much
as possible. First the candle on the left. Focusing on the wick, I visualized a tiny flame erupting
from it--concentrating my will, pouring energy into my intention. I could feel myself sliding
further into exhaustion as energy curled inside me, but after a long, agonizing moment the candle
came to life. I let out a breath before I could stop myself, avoiding his gaze. I didn’t want him to
know how much this was taking out of me, but I had a bad feeling it was obvious. I turned my
attention to the other candle and though it took even longer this time, it too lit. I felt almost as
bad as I had this afternoon.

Blake reached for a backpack on the floor I had not seen in the darkness. He opened it, fished
something out, and tossed it to me. I didn’t so much catch it as let it fall in my lap. A chocolate
candy bar.

It was my turn to quirk an eyebrow. Waving the bar at him I said, “What, is this to ward off
dementors?”

The smirk became a genuine smile again briefly. “Something like that. You need to eat.”

I gave him a skeptical look.

“You know you’re using energy with that.” He gestured at the candles. “The energy needs to be
replenished.”

I rolled my eyes but tore open the wrapper. The chocolate tasted, well, damn, like mainlining
something illegal. Maybe he had a point. I was halfway through the bar when he spoke again, as
if there had been no pause.

“Especially since you don’t really know what you’re doing yet.” Even in the low candlelight I
had no trouble seeing the wicked amusement in his dark eyes.

I managed to finish chewing without choking, tossed the remainder of the candy bar on the
coffee table and sat up straighter. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re here? Or better yet, tell me
where I can find your demon lover? So I can send her back to Hell.”

“Well, actually, that’s exactly why I’m here, Roxanne.” Like we were discussing insurance or
something. “I want you to find my demon lover.”

Gob-smacked, all I could manage was, “Huh?”

“And I want you to send her back to Hell.”

Contest details and entry form:

Winners will be chosen from all of those who enter via the form, bonus entries will be given for comments left at tour stops, and you can also enter via the form at each tour stop.

 
*10 winners will receive signed book plates

*2 winners will receive free ebook copies of Mojo Queen

*1 grand prize winner will receive the Mojo Prize Pack, which includes:

·         Signed book plate

·         Mojo Queen playlist CD

·         A voodoo doll

·         A protective mojo hand

·         Spirit of Good Luck incense

·         A seven day spell candle

·         A bag of graveyard dirt

Click here for contest form.