We’ve received over 30 offers of help for the medical beta. Thank you so much, guys.
***
I have a question: for those of you who use essential oils, where do you get them? I searched online and I am now thoroughly confused: should I buy prepared ones, should I cut them, what should I buy… I use them specifically for the candle infuser thingie.
***
My hope is to nuke the copy edit today. I am really tired of this book. But at least nobody can say I didn’t try. People keep asking if it’s the last one. It’s the last one for now. Unless it has crazy sales, a TV series gets made, or suddenly magical inspiration hits me like a bolt of lightning, this one is done for a little bit, at least in full novel stage. We may do some novellas on our own or something. Or perhaps reinvent it somehow. Our publisher is very enthusiastic about the series, so it’s not by any means a closed door.
I was going to give you a snippet, but everything I pick has a spoiler in it. Here is Gunmetal Magic Instead.
***
Central Library courtesy of Wikipedia
Ever since the Shift, the moment when our slow apocalypse in progress began, the plants decided it was time to wage full-on assault on all things human. Magic fueled the tree growth, and Centennial Park was a shining example of that. In the decade since the Shift the park had tripled in size, taking over the neighboring city blocks. Once the Atlanta witch covens purchased it from the city as their meeting place, the park stopped expanding sideways, directing all of its growth upward instead. As we drove up, a dense wall of green greeted us, the tree trunks bound together with thorny vines, as if a three-hundred-year-old forest had somehow sprouted in the middle of the city.
The brown square building of the Central Library sat recessed in the green. A pair of massive ash trees hugged it on both sides, their branches and roots braiding together, sliding over the walls and sometimes through them, as if the library itself was some odd mushroom growing from their twin trunks. The trees sheltered the library and while its neighbors had long-ago fallen and crumbled, the library looked intact.
We parked in a large parking lot, which used to be Forsyth Street, and went to the doors. Inside a young dark-haired girl, barely fifteen if that, stepped in our way. She carried a staff, wore jeans and a frilly white T-shirt, and the left side of her face sported a tattoo of some arcane symbols above her eyebrow and down over her cheekbone.
“Please surrender your weapons!” she chirped in a high voice and nodded at the cart full of plastic bins.
Ascanio’s eyes lit up.
I removed my Sig-Sauers and put them into a plastic bin. The two knives followed. I put my wolfsbane and a small flask of my silver powder into it.
“Thank you!” the witch said and looked at Ascanio.
The boy offered her his knife with a charming smile. “Hi! What’s your name?”
“My name is Put the Knife into the Bin, Please!”
Ascanio deposited the knife into the bin and followed me.
“Giving up?” I asked.
“She isn’t interested,” he said. “Cute, but not interested.”
That was one thing I could honestly say about the Atlanta boudas: the men always understood the difference between no and maybe.
We crossed the floor to a heavy desk manned by a female librarian. She smiled at me. “May I help you?”
“We need access to the Library of Alexandria.”
“Are you a member?”
“No, but I would like to be.”
“Andrea?” a familiar male voice said.
I turned. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood on the right, by the reference bookshelves, looking at me. He wore a black robe with silver embroidery along the hem and sleeves, fastened by a leather belt around his narrow waist. His jet-black hair was shaved on the sides of his head into a semblance of a horse’s mane. His features were bold and harshly cut: he had a large aquiline nose, a square jaw, prominent cheekbones, and a full mouth that could be either sensual or cruel.
His eyebrows were black, and his eyes, full of humor, were black, too. He seemed to really like that color, which was understandable since he was a volhv, which was kind of like a Russian druid, and he worshipped, Chernobog, a Slavic god of “Everything Bad and Evil” as Kate once put it. If you looked in a dictionary under “dark wizard,” you’d get his picture. Except he would be standing on a pile of skulls and holding a staff with magic fire shooting from it.
“Hi, Roman.”
The volhv put his book down and walked over to us. I had to admit, the robe, the hair, and his height combined into a pretty menacing whole. He smiled, showing even white teeth. “You remembered my name.”
He had one of the best male voices I’ve ever heard. Rich and resonant and just a touch suggestive. Or maybe I was reading too much into it. The first time I ever saw him, he was in a loup cage in our office, because he’d attacked Kate and she didn’t like it. He’d made some comments to me, which could have been construed as flirting. In a dark terrible wizard way.
I also remembered him having a Russian accent. Not a big one, but now he was talking like he was born and raised in Atlanta. Maybe he was.
“Still the same outfit, I see. Do you ever change it up?”
“In private,” he said. “Must maintain the whole ‘knitted from darkness and shadow’ image.”
“Aren’t darkness and shadow the same thing?” I asked.
He wagged his eyebrows at me. “Aaah, you’d think so, but no. Shadow implies the presence of light. I am not all bad, you see. Parts of me are good. In fact, parts of me are excellent.”
Ascanio rolled his eyes behind him.
“So,” Roman said. “What brings you here?”
“We’re trying to get access to the Library of Alexandria.”
“I can help you. I’ve got this, Rachel.” Roman waved at us. “Follow me.”
We followed him up a tall gray and brown staircase. “Do you come here often?” I asked.
He rolled his dark eyes. “I live in this bloody place. Dad’s making me track down some obscure legend. The Witch Oracle had foreseen some things a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been digging in ever since.”
“Could you just tell him no?” Ascanio asked from behind.
Roman glanced at him and heaved a dramatic sigh. “My father is the Black Volhv. My mother is one of the Witch Oracles. In my place, you have to ask yourself, is saying no worth the problems, the nagging, the accusations of not being a good son, the lectures from both of my parents, and the story of how my mother was in labor for forty hours, which I can recite from memory. It’s easier to just do what they want. Besides, if the prophecy is the sign of something dreadful happening, we might as well be prepared.”
“What sort of prophecy was it?” Ascanio asked.
“That’s classified.” Roman winked at him. “I could tell you, of course. But then I would have to kill you and chain your soul, so you would be my shadow servant for all eternity. Come on, it’s right this way.”
Roman turned left, between the bookcases, going deeper into the library’s second floor.
Ascanio’s eyes widened. He turned to me. “Can he do that?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I have no idea. Why don’t you try bugging him, so we’ll find out?”
“No thanks.”
Roman led us through the narrow tunnel between bookshelves all the way to the back of the library where five terminals glowed weakly. He pulled a card out of his pocket and swiped it through the card reader of the two closest terminals. The Library of Alexandria logo—a book encased in flame—came on the screens.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you. Much obliged.” It was really nice of him.
“Say, can I ask you a question? In private?”
“Sure.” I pointed at the left terminal. “Ascanio, search for our boy. Remember, anything that has to do with his art collection.”
We walked along the wall outside of Ascanio’s hearing distance, which took us almost all the way to the end of the section.
Roman’s dark eyes turned serious. “You have ties with the Pack, yes?”
“Some.”
He frowned, looming next to me, all tall and dark. “Did you hear anything . . . alarming? Anything about them taking over the city, for example?”
“No. It wouldn’t happen anyway. Curran is a separatist,” I told him. “He believes in maintaining a distance between the shapeshifters and everyone else. The Pack worships his footsteps. They wouldn’t do anything without his say-so. Even if they did, how would they hold the place? Everyone else would unite and crush them and that’s leaving aside any action the government would take.”
Roman stroked his chin. “True, true . . .”
“Why do you ask?”
“The prophecy. Some prophecies are distinct. This one wasn’t. The witches saw a shadow falling on the city and then there was howling. Deafening, scary howling. They aren’t sure if it’s a dog or a wolf or something else. Also they saw a spiral of clay.”
“So what does it mean?”
Roman shook his head. “No way to tell. It must’ve felt terrifying, because my mother was rattled after it.”
I had met Evdokia. Anything that managed to rattle her had to be treated as a serious threat.
“Are you free tomorrow night?” Roman asked. “I’d love your perspective on things.”
“Are you asking me on a date?” Flirting or not flirting?
Roman leaned one arm against the bookcase. “Who me? I don’t date. I only steal virgins to sacrifice.”
Flirting. Shamelessly flirting. “Hmm, then I’m not of any interest to you. I’m not a virgin.”
He grinned. “This would be a professional meeting.”
“Aha.”
“Kompletely profeshonal,” Roman said, turning the Russian accent back on.
He was charming and funny and a bit scary, which was always a draw in my book. But every nerve in me still hurt. If there was one thing I’d learned, it was that jumping from one relationship into another was a bad idea.
Still . . . My life didn’t have to be tied with Raphael’s. The world wasn’t limited to one bouda jerk. Here was a guy, a funny, handsome guy, who probably thought I was hot. It could be someone like him. It could be no one, for that matter. I could be perfectly fine by myself.
“I’m investigating four shapeshifter murders,” I told him. “Have you heard anything?”
“No. But I can ask.”
“Well, see, I’m no good to you, because I’m not a virgin and you are no good to me because you know nothing about the murders. Maybe some other time?”
He reached out to me. One second his hand was empty and the next a small black card with a white phone number appeared as if by magic. “Take a card?” he asked, winking. “Come on, take one.”
“Will it sprout fangs when the magic hits?”
“You won’t find out unless you take it. Or are you chicken?”
I swiped the card. “Just a warning, if it turns into something nasty, I’ll shoot it.”
Roman laughed quietly.
“You want one of mine?”
“Five-five-five, twenty-one thirteen.”
The number to the office. He must’ve gotten it from Kate.
“Well, I’ve got to go,” I said.
Roman glanced up and said in a conspiratorial voice. “If I disappear in a dramatic pillar of black smoke, do you think the sprinklers will go off?”
I leaned over to him and kept my voice low. “Probably. But I’m willing to close my eyes for a second and pretend you did anyway.”
I closed my eyes for a long moment and when I opened them, he was gone.
When I returned to the terminal, Ascanio handed me a notepad with notes. “I found some articles. Also the volhv likes you,” he said, his gaze fixed on the screen.
“Yes, he does.” I scanned his notes. He’d made a list of the art auctions Jamar had visited.
“Does this mean you’re done with Raphael?”
I gave him my sniper stare. “If you ever want to set foot out of the office again, you will stop taking an interest in my love life. It doesn’t concern you.”
He turned to me with an expression of remorse that could’ve made the angels weep. “Yes, ma’am.”
How do you go from Baby Rory to Ascanio? To think that one day I might have kids, and given that I was half-bouda they would probably turn out just like him. The mind boggled.
“It says here Jamar bought a toilet seat for fifty thousand dollars,” Ascanio said.
I looked on the screen. “It says it’s from Amarna, from the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt.”
“It’s a toilet seat,” Ascanio said.
“It’s four thousand years old.”
He looked at me, incredulous. “Some ancient Egyptians sat on it and took a dump.”
“I assume so.”
“He paid fifty thousand dollars for a used toilet seat.”
“Maybe it was gold-plated,” I told him.
“No, it says here it’s made of limestone, so if you were to use it, you’d freeze your ass off when you sat on it.”
“It’s not cold in Egypt. It’s hot. Your grasp of geography is shaky, my friend.” I sat down at a terminal next to him and typed “Jamar Groves” into the search window.
“You could buy a car for fifty thousand dollars. A really nice car.” Ascanio’s eyes lit up. “A Hummer. You could buy a converted Hummer.”
“You don’t need a Hummer,” I said.
“Chicks dig the Hummer.”
“You don’t need any chicks either.”
He gave me an injured look. “I have needs.”
“I have needs too and right now I need you to concentrate on tracking down Jamar’s antique collection. Get to it.”
I just got notification from the Book Depository that it should be on its way soon
I am so looking forward to it.
Thank you for the snippet – a lovely surprise.
I just read a comment above saying that Amazon UK are dispatching copies – mine is processing not dispatched and I go on holiday tomorrow so won’t get it before I go
. Wish I hadn’t read the comment – ignorance would have been bliss!
I’m in the UK too and Amazon are estimating 10th – 13th August so it will miss my holiday too. Oh well at least coming home won’t be so bad if I have that waiting for me
Chantal Halpin recently posted..What’s new…
Amazon were saying that my estimated delivery date was 10th-13th despite pre ordering it to get by the 31st!
So far this date has changed 3 times! When I rang them to see what was going on the snotty cow on the other end of the line told me that it’s because they have a problem with dispatching! When I politely told her I had pre ordered it so surely if there was a problem with dispatch they should have contacted me about it, she proceeded to tell me that she didnt really see what all the fuss was about as I would get the book eventually!!!!!!
I’m in England also so this is the only place I know to order the book from!
Am so mad!
I wish these books were available on kindle! Would save a lot of hassle!
Ihateamazonstupidpeople.com!
Wantwantwant…. God, I’m counting days!
It’s good to be back in post-Shift Atlanta…. Awesome dialog, there was smile on my face while I was reading…
I’m in a big hurry and haven’t taken the time to read through the comments (bad me) to check for duplicate answers but I get all my oils (and soaps, and facial muds etc) from either Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, or Villainess. V is my current new fav because they just did a scent line from the book Wicked As They Come by Delilah Devlin, which I loved, loved, loved. Hope this helps:)
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So, I somehow convinced myself that this past Tues was the 31st and Gunmetal Magic was coming out. I even re-read Magic Slays on Monday to set myself up for it. Imagine my surprise and sadness when I was realized I flash-forwarded a whole week in my mind!
This snippet, luckily, has gone a long way to tide me over until next week…I was convinced I was going to go crazy!
So thank you x three, and I can’t wait to read Andrea’s book!
PS – I’m so happy I re-read Magic Slays…there were so many laugh-out-loud moments in that book that I missed the first time around!
Don’t feel bad. I did the same thing. I reread the whole series even the novella’s last weekend, looking forward to reading Gunmetal magic on Tuesday only to realize it is the next Tuesday.
I can’t wait. I really, really want my fix.
Counting down the days … you know I’m going to be checking my kindle every 5 minutes starting at 12:01 am.
Me too!
GNC carries most oil: lemo, tea tree, lavender, etc.
I’ve been obsessively checking kobobooks for this ebook , but it’s still not available for pre-order. If anyone else in Canada has managed to order this ebook from Kobo, could you share the secret ?
I think the best quality oils are probably through Young Living. At least that’s what I see most around here. I dont’ personally use them because I’m too sensitive and they give me migranes. I do have some friends who love them.
Loved the snippet!!
I just had the most terrifying drive in my recent memory during some crazy storms and made it home two hours later than planned all stressed out and amped up. Now I am calm and excited and happy. Best compliment I could bestow. Thank you!
Yay, Gunmetal Magic – can’t wait!
As for essential oils, you can get them at larger supermarkets, drugstores, natural food stores, or vitamin stores (at least in Canada). They’re not premium, but they’re pretty good quality, frequently organic, and inexpensive.
Question: does anyone else have to use all-natural candles? (ie. palm oil, beeswax, etc) Normal candles give me headaches.
Yup, most chemical perfumes bug me, and I occasionally confuse wait staff by blowing out irritating votives and oil lamps on my table
. Generally I just go with pure beeswax, which has a nice sweet scent and is available in every form from tealight to XL pillar. For scented, Big Dipper makes wonderful essential oil+beeswax candles–I’ve seen them in retail so you may find locally:
http://www.bigdipperwaxworks.com/
If Ascanio gets thru this investigation without Andrea shooting him somewhere tender, it’ll be a miracle.
On the other hand, Andrea will probably save the ammo for Raph.
Love the snippet; about the esential oils if you are burning them in an infuser you shoud use an oil to cut it (such as almond or grapeseed oil). Two reasons, one essentials oils are expensive and when you cut they will last a lot longer and two, certain oils are sensitve to heat so you need to cut them in order to keep them from burning. I don’t know if you have Sunflower or Sprouts markets in Texas but you can buy essential oils there. Whole Foods also have essential oils, but you might just want to buy them online. Cannot wait for Gumnetal Magic.
There is a Sprouts on 1709 in Southlake in northern DFW. I don’t know about Austin.
Hey Ilona,
I have to say that I particularly like the “NOW” brand of essential oils. These are all food-safe, so you can use them in cooking. So far, I’ve used Lavender, Lemon, Orange, and Cinnamon oils in my baking recipes. Plus dipped the tip of a paper towel (twisted into a little wick) into the lavender oil, and put it in a glass dish. Did great dispensing the scent just like that. I found them for sale at the local Sunflower Market.
Here’s the website: http://www.nowfoods.com/Quality/M076063.htm which describes how they collect their oils. Good stuff.
And thanks for the snippet! Squeeeeee!
love the excerpt! just 5 more days~
I am so excited for Tuesday!!!
I buy both essential oils and fragrance oils from San Francisco Herb Co. I don’t burn the candle infuser but use them in my homemade soaps. They have something called a reed diffuser which looks interesting. Get the scent without having to burn anything. They seem to have some of the best prices too. Website is sfherb.com Loved the snippet, can’t wait for the book. Thanks so much.
Love the snippet! Can’t wait!
)
Hilarious!!!!!! Loved it!!! Next week cannot come fast enough!!!!
I’m a big fan of the healing and metaphysical properties of essential oils, so I’m like to use high quality oils. When if comes to mixes that are designed to address problems, issues, conditions, etc, I’m a big fan of Young Living. Their Valor mix is especially good for calming down the nervous system (I use it whenever I’m feeling frenzied, much too often these days), Thieves is good for killing germs, and Purification is great for clearing both the air and your energy.
If you have the time and inclination to make your own mixes, or if you want to use your oils straight, I don’t use many Young Living Oils for those purposes because they’re often a bit on the pricy side. I like the quality of the oils (and the reasonable prices) provided by a vendor on eBay, Sun Pure Botanicals. They’re one of the few places that I’ve seen that have quality, affordable rose and sandalwood oil that doesn’t cost $100+. I have friends who also rave about the quality of DoTerra oils, but I haven’t tried them since my stash is pretty full at the moment.
Hope this helps — the snippet really made my day!
Love it! Can’t wait
Anticipating dispatch by Book Depository 
Toilet seat? Even for Pharaoh probably would have been made of mud brick. Too late now Lol
thanks for the snippet!!! i love it
If it arrives at the house before my husband joins me on the West Coast for our vacation, I am having him bring it with him. I can’t wait till I get home.
I hope you get hit by that magical inspiration and also Roman is freakin’ brilliant!!! I hope he gets Raphael all riled up. Can’t wait – than you for the snip
Chantal Halpin recently posted..What’s new…
Love it! Can’t wait. Thanks for the snippet.
I got my copy from Book Depository yesterday but they sometimes send out books a few days before the release date. It is very shiny!
Has recently posted..Joint Review: Forever & A Day by Jill Shalvis
sweet! I already pre-ordered Gunmetal. I don’t think I can wait long enough!! Thanks for the snippet to hold me over.
Thanks for the snippet. Can’t wait till Tuesday.
My bookstore put it on the shelves already, so I bought mine yesterday. I’m halfway through and loving it!
Roswita Hildebrandt recently posted..Shawntelle Madison’s Coveted
Lucky! My bookstore told me they had it, but wouldn’t sell it to me until the release date. Grrr.
Thanks so much! I already ordered Gunmetal Magic. Can’t wait!
It IS preordered since forever, (for bookshelf and kindle) but i was happy to read this snippet
Thank you!
I get my essential oils here: http://www.libertynatural.com/
I get my essential oils from the local health food store. Most of them seem to carry them. I don’t know about cutting them for infusers. I guess if I was going to do that, I might use almond oil as a base, but it depends on how much it might smoke. I know, really helpful, right?
I sent the copy edits back to my editor a couple days ago. What a relief. Yeah baby.
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Awesome
thank you
Jess recently posted..Spontaneous Creativity
Can someone tell me why publishers don’t lie about the release date & send it out early? Loved the snippet. I don’t think oils will help at all with all my favorite authors coming out in the next 2 months and not RIGHT NOW.
Lol, love the bit about the card sprouting fangs…just lol
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Absolutely love it! Only one more day to go, can’t wait.
I do not advise cutting essential oils with oil in a burner. I would suggest a few drops in water if you have one of those candle diffusers. Using oil makes the diffuser harder to clean if you want to completely change the scent palette IMHO. Aura Cacia is a good place to start if buying online. I get mine from New Directions Aromatics. They sell to wholesale. Also try your neighborhood health food store or New Age/ Metaphysical store. In terms of what oils to get. Depends on what you are trying to do. I advise most people to get lavender and tea tree for general first aid. Other than that think about what smells you generally love. Citrus smells? Get bergamot, petigrain grapefruit orange and lemon. love florals? Ylang ylang, jasmine, rose, geranium. Starting out I would go play with the testers at the store. Sometimes a scent you think you should like smells awful to you. Hope this helps:)