Searching: Dragons of New York, Book 1

 

Searching (Dragons of New York, Book 1)

by Rachel Graves

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GENRE: Urban Fantasy

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

A dragon terrified of being discovered by the government, Ravenna Drake is constantly on the move. When the woman who raised her gets cancer, Ravenna trades her nomadic work restoring black market magical goods for a steady job. But her cautious life ends after her name is found at the scene of a werewolf murder.

 

Dr. Ian Chen, a sorcerer bonded to a powerful relic, works for the government treating supernatural citizens. He insists on investigating when his patient’s body is discovered completely drained of blood. His search leads him to the beautiful but frustrating Ravenna Drake, who refuses to stay away from the case or follow his instructions.

 

As more bloodless bodies surface, threats from secret societies and corrupt politicians force the dragon and the sorcerer to work together. If Ravenna and Ian can’t catch the killer, the people they love the most may be the next to die.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT

 

His foot reached out to blur the circle and the ghost changed. Agony forced every other emotion aside. He couldn’t breathe, a heavy weight settled on his chest. Panic set in as he wheezed, his heart racing the way hers had raced. Was he experiencing her last minutes or just panicking at the emotions? Could he trust himself? Darkness started to crowd the edges of his vision. Not enough air. Sweat broke out along his back. Somewhere, Cloak was saying something, but he couldn’t hear it over the pounding of blood in his ears. He was going to die here. The blackness got closer.

 

“No.” The flood of emotions stopped immediately, as Drake stepped in front of him. “That’s not how this works. You don’t get to scream at him.”

 

His head throbbed, stinging like acid dripping down his face, but he could breathe again. The darkness receded. The first thing he saw was Drake moving into the center of the stain, acting as if the blood wasn’t there. 

 

“I’ll give you enough energy to manifest, but start screaming again and I will end you, even if we haven’t heard a damn thing you’ve got to say. Understand?” She paused, then reached her hand out. A shaft of sunlight came in through the window and her hand seemed to glow. Then the end of it disappeared, replaced with a chest. The shape grew outward, a filmy light turning into a woman. The process took less than a minute, and he heard the sheriff whisper to God.

 

“Dr. Chen, she can talk to you now.” Drake said it with a very deliberate emphasis on the word talk. Whatever the ghost intended, it wasn’t going to stand up to her. A deep surge of gratitude coursed through him.

A Word With the Author

 Do you have any tattoos?  Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?

Not yet! I have a pretty impressive scar in the shape of the Eye of Horus, the wedjat eye. It’s a symbol of well-being and protection. I’m searching for the right artist who can outline the scar with a bold black line so it never fades. The scar came from a surgery to correct a birth defect that wasn’t discovered until my mid-forties. The process had some awful complications and really changed how I saw myself. I didn’t ask for the symbol, but I recognized it the first time I took the bandages off. I’ve loved it ever since. 

Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

Not even a tiny bit! I move around a lot, but Salem, Mass (my latest home) is the farthest north I’ve ever been. If you asked me two years ago if I’d ever live someplace that gets this cold, I wouldn’t have been able to stop laughing. But these days, I push myself more. I don’t trust that things can wait. I’m more likely to grab on to an opportunity or force myself to do something now that I was before 2020. The last two years really made me feel like there’s no time to lose, if you want something you have to take a chance and go for it. 

How long have you been writing?

Sixteen years! It feels like forever, but my path hasn’t been a straight line. I spent two years working with a major publishing house only to have those books accepted but not published. My years with a small publishing house were much more productive, but ultimately, I really found myself as a writer when I started self-publishing. There’s just not a lot of publishers who get excited about ghost-dragons or witches solving murders the way I do. Working independently lets me pick the best-of-the-best editors and artists to support my stories. And, when I’m caught up in a good story, sixteen years doesn’t feel like enough time. 

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Keep writing. When you finish one book, write another one. If you can’t think of something to write that fits your story, write a description of a place or a person. Above all: write. The hardest part of writing isn’t publishing or getting an agent, it’s having to write and re-write all the time. The ideas in your head are great, but don’t keep them in your head. The story changes as you write it out, and that’s the best part.

Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.

This is a story about secrets. There are two secret magical societies in the book. One is morally gray, and wants to use magic to get ahead. Another is a group of collectors who spend millions on magical books and objects. On top of that, the characters are keeping secrets. Ravenna is a dragon who can appear as a human or in a form of pure magic, but she’s only ever told three people. Ian became bonded to a magical relic, Cloak, during a terrorist shooting, and has kept that a secret from his family for years. And even though they share a soul, Cloak keeps secrets from Ian. There were so many fun layers of who knows what and when they’ll share it. In a few cases, I got to show close friends being able to guess a secret. Those turned out to be some of my favorite scenes!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Rachel Graves writes mysteries that blend the supernatural with steamy, sexy scenes. Her work explores the many shades of gray found between the lines of right and wrong. Rachel's books focus on strong heroines who take charge of their own fate, their friends, and their families. Rachel is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and uses research skills honed getting a graduate degree in psychology to seek out rare folklore and magical creatures. Her writing incorporates popular monsters like vampires and werewolves as well as diverse creatures like selkies and yuki onna. Rachel has lived in a cursed town, taken far too many ghost tours, and counts down to every Halloween starting in November. You can read short stories and learn more about her on her website: http://www.rachelgraves.com/.

 

Amazon.com author page is: https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Graves/e/B011H977D0  

Good reads: https://www.goodreads.com/RachelGraves

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AuthorRachelGraves/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.graves.370

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_rachel_graves/

Personal Blog: http://rachelgraves.com/

 

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Dragons-New-York-Book-ebook/dp/B0BGFGNF7V/ref=sr_1_1

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

 

A randomly chosen reader will be selected to receive a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Nobel gift certificate.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway