Hey All,
As promised, here is the Cool and Super Cool contest promos for my debut Triskelion novel Immorati.
Read the excerpt and answer the first set of questions by emailing me, or answering on the blog comments. I'll draw a name from the list of those who answered all questions correctly. To enter the Super Cool Contest, read the book and answer the second set of questions. I'll draw a separate name from that list. You can win both contests! So read, enjoy and good luck.
Blurb:
When the corpse of an unidentified species is found in the woods near Pine Haven, New Jersey along with a human female, anthropologist Edie Campbell is called in by local law enforcement and the medical examiner to help identify the strange humanoid male. The discovery of a heretofore unknown species is thrilling for Edie, up until she realizes the creature has recently mated with the human female.
Questions form with no apparent answers until Aidan LaMont arrives in Pine Haven to identify his cousin’s body. But the secretive Aidan hides as much of the mystery surrounding the strange creature as he explains. And Edie has no doubt that behind his simmering sexuality, and amber eyes, he knows much more than he’s willing to tell.
Set up:
Edie is home, soaking in a warm tub, when Karl calls her to come and identify the species of a corpse found in the woods.
******
She made it to the morgue in under fifteen minutes. Karl met her and opened her car door for her. Instead of his uniform, he wore jeans and a plain t-shirt. His short blond hair looked finger-combed and the slight stubble of beard could be seen on his square jaw. Deep brown eyes locked with hers and then he shook his head.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.” He draped his arm around her shoulder as they walked into the morgue’s examination room.
Tyler Fitzjohn glanced up from her work and did the same headshake as Karl. “Hi, Edie. Thanks for coming down. Grab a gown, gloves, and mask and join me over here.”
Tyler had also lived in Pine Haven most of her life, but had grown up and went to school with Edie’s mother and father. She was not only a friend, but an honorary aunt of sorts.
Edie put on a paper gown to cover her clothes and allowed Karl to tie up the back for her. Then she donned a pair of surgical gloves, hooked a mask over her ears, and stepped around the sinks and into the examination room proper.
The corpse lay on a stainless steel table, a big hulking specimen both fascinating and frightening. Edie swept her gaze downward from its head. It wasn’t just big. It was massive.
She moved under the bright florescent lights to get a better look at the creature.
“Where was it found?”
“In the woods, outside town. A couple of teenagers found it while hiking.” Karl put on a gown and stood across from her. Tyler moved back to give Edie room to examine the thing.
It was a humanoid— she was sure. The facial features were too human-like to be anything else, and yet they appeared alien. Fascinated, she leaned in to inspect him.
The head was large, and proudly shaped. Pale, waxy skin was stretched taut over high prominent cheekbones. The mandible was square and powerful. Edie gave a passing thought as to how much pressure such a jaw could exert when it latched on to prey. And looking down at the creature, she had the strange sensation that it was definitely a predator of some sort.
The lips were full and beautifully shaped, as if molded to perfection by the loving hands of a sculptor. She leaned forward and placed her fingers on the mouth. Pulling back the upper lip, she was treated to the most horrific canines this side of the food chain.
The nose was elongated, but still most definitely human in nature. The brow was broad and high, as well as the forehead. Both those features suggested a well-developed frontal lobe and possibility of higher intelligence.
Her gloved fingers spread the eyelids back and black eyes stared sightlessly back at her. They were odd, without sclera or iris. Long thick black hair hung down to broad shoulders, but there appeared no evidence of facial hair.
The chest was deep and broad with over-developed pectorals. In the center, where the heart should be, was a gapping wound.
“What violence.” Edie inspected the jagged claw-like serrations on the edge of the wound.
Her fingers trailed downward to his flat, yet muscled abdomen, and farther.
Karl coughed behind her.
She turned to peer at him over her shoulder for a moment. “You wanted me to look at him.”
He put up his hands and backed off.
Her hands slid down to his genitalia— there could be no doubt this specimen was most definitely male. The long, thick penis sat nestled in a patch of dense black hair and encased in a thick, spongy foreskin. She pulled the foreskin back, exposing the glans penis. A pearly, viscous fluid was caught on the tip and inside the protective cover.
“Is that what I think it is?” Karl frowned.
“It’s exactly what you think it is. Tyler, get a sample of this. I’ll be interested to see how the DNA stacks up against human.”
“You and me both.” Tyler quickly placed the semen sample into a container to have it run at the State crime lab.
“I wonder if the creature mated prior to the killing?” Edie felt a shift of tension in the room with the question. “What?”
“I’ll check the other victim.” Tyler moved to another table and uncovered a second body Edie hadn’t noticed before.
“There are two of these things here?”
Karl shook his head. “No, the other victim is a young woman.”
Edie’s throat constricted. She didn’t even wish to contemplate the ramifications of what that meant.
Tyler worked on the second body for several moments before she lifted her head. “There is a positive presence of semen. And quite a bit of blood. I’ll have to check for vaginal trauma.”
Edie turned back and looked at the creature on the slab. What exactly had happened in the woods? Did he rape the poor young woman and then kill her? If so, what killed him? A cold sweat broke out on her forehead and between her shoulder blades.
“Sweetheart, are you all right?”
“I think I need to sit down.” No sooner had she said that then Karl had a stool brought over for her. He placed it near the wall, but she shook her head. “Bring it here. I want to finish examining this thing.”
Tyler marked the samples with a pen. “I do have a call in to a zoologist, Edie, if you want to go home.”
“Go home? Are you kidding? I’m not going to let a little light-headedness stop me from examining the find of the century, no matter how disturbing the facts seem to be.”
She returned her gaze to the creature. His long muscular arms ended in disproportionately large hands, tipped with six-inch pointed claws. Edie picked up the hand nearest her and studied the claws. Dried blood decorated the point of each claw. Odd, if he had been the one to kill the girl, there would have been blood all over his hands and arms, not just the very tips of the nails.
The legs were the most amazing . Like the rest of the body, they were long and well muscled. Powerful thighs and calves proposed an excellent runner, or jumper, and tapered down to long canine-like feet with talonesque toenails, complete with a dewclaw. The configuration suggested the creature could move on all fours for speed.
“I haven’t a clue what this thing could possibly be.” Edie looked up and stared at Tyler before shifting her attention to Karl. “I’m sorry, but if I didn’t know better, I’d say someone or something killed the Jersey Devil.”
****
Cool contest question:
1) What is the Medical Examiner's name?
2) What is Edie's reaction when she realizes the creature mated?
3) What is Karl's profession?
4) What is found along with the creature?
5) What does Edie think the creature is?
Super Cool contest questions:
1) What is Aidan's mother's name?
2)Who did Nanine meet the night she was killed, and why?
3) Who else close to Aidan dies at the hands of the Corpesetti?
4) What are the only ways in which an Immorati can die?
5) Who is Karl secretly in love with?
To purchase your copy of Immorati go to
http://www.triskelionpublishing.com and pull up the books store, put Immorati in your advanced search. (I would add it all here, but the address is really long.)
Good luck to you!
-Kat
