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The Rift featured in Yahoo romance book group
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Hello Everyone,
I have so very exciting news. The Yahoo Romance book group, marketing for romance writers (website: http://marketingforromancewriters.org/) has featured The Rift in their first YA excerpts minibook! You can download it (for free, of course) right here
http://mfrw.hopwith.me/changes/#
Make sure to stop by and check it out.
Luck and Love,
SKN Hammerstone
Inspiration comes in many interesting places. Like Batman
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Hello Everyone,
I have been hard at work with the final book in the Vessel of Souls trilogy, The Perdition. In this book one of the characters, Jesse, has changed drastically. I can't say exactly what has become of him but he is a lot different from that inexperienced guardian who wore his heart on his sleeve in The Rift. What has been the main inspiration behind his transformation? Batman. No seriously. Or to be more specific, The Joker.
What do I mean by this? I believe this picture sums it up
So what exactly has changed with Jesse that makes me compare him to the evil, sadistic Joker? Well I suppose you will just have to wait and find out.
Luck and Love,
SKN Hammerstone
The Deceived is finally here
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Hello everyone,
The Deceived is finally here and by here I mean, here:
Aka, it has been released. I am so excited and yes, if you were wondering, I did wait up all night until I got an email from amazon telling me that it was up for sale and yes I drank entirely too much coffee to do so.
If you haven't read the summary it is right here (oh the wonders of copy and paste)
The world is at peace. Everything is as it should be with the three kingdoms divided and united. But not everything is as it appears…
With Rachael under the control of Elizabeth, the leadership of Earth is quickly rotting from the inside out.
Jesse continues his search to find out what happened to the woman he loves, discovering secrets that would have been better left forever hidden beneath the surface.
Behind it all a far darker power is stirring as the queen of Earth completes the final pieces of a puzzle with consequences no one could have ever foreseen.
There is also a book trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANRNCmIcQj8
I am also going to do something completely different than I did with the first book. If you have a question or a comment while you are reading the book; you can send it to me right away.
On twitter use the hashtag #Deceivedquestionaire so I can find it. On facebook just post it to my wall, found here
https://www.facebook.com/SknHammerstone
And of course there is the very easy, email me your question/ comment here:
I can't wait to see what you guys think of it and once again I am super excited!!
Luck and Love,
SKN Hammerstone
Seventh day of The Countdown to The Deceived
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Hello Everyone,
As today is the last day of the countdown (well except for the actual release date) I promised to show you the cover and the title of the third book. Follow this link to see it:
http://sknhammerstonebooks.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=182819814
Secondly this is the last day to enter the giveaway of The Deceived
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/60052-the-deceived
And finally This is the last day The Rift is on sale for 99 cents:
Tomorrow is the release date! I will be posting links of course is amazon and create space cooporate with me.
Luck and Love,
SKN Hammerstone
Sixth day of The Countdown To The Deceived
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Hello Everyone,
Today is the sixth day of the countdown and i know I promised a surprise so here it is:
http://sknhammerstonebooks.webs.com/apps/blog/show/31225920-surprise-excerpt-from-the-deceived
A new excerpt from The Deceived 
As with the other days of the countdown we have the giveaway for The Deceived:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/60052-the-deceived
And The Rift sale for 99 cents
Make sure to stick around because tomorrow I will be showing you the cover and the title of The Third book which is now in the editing stage
Luck and Love,
SKN Hammerstone
Surprise excerpt from The Deceived
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Rachael was tied down to a stone table inside Elizabeth’s castle, covered in blood and bruises. The ropes rubbed against her skin, leaving burns as she attempted to escape.
“We cannot fulfill what we need to do if you do not let go of Jesse!” Elizabeth appeared inside of the room. “He’s nothing more than a cover! Let him burn!”
“I have done everything you have ever asked of me without question,” Rachael stated. “But this… just please do not do this! He has done nothing wrong.”
“He is in the way!”
Elizabeth waited for a response from Rachael but there wasn’t one.
“I’m giving you one last chance.”
“I can’t,” she answered.
“Then suffer!”
Elizabeth angrily stormed out of the room.
The ropes tightened around Rachael’s body, binding her flat against the stone. A thin line of smoke escaped from around the base of the table as several sets of claws dug into the stone, using it to pull themselves up. Demons.
Rachael fought against the ropes as the demons climbed up to her. She was unable to get away as they reached the top.
They were far worse outside of human bodies. Wasted away and starved for human flesh.
The first one, looking much like a human child, climbed onto the table and looked at Rachael with its head tilted to one side.
“I’m not a human. You don’t want me,” she told it.
It paused in confusion, leaning down towards her. She turned away in disgust and fear as it licked the side of her face. It sat back up with a shriek of joy, calling the other demons to it.
“No!” Rachael fought harder. It smiled at her, its brethren clawing at the base of the table to join it.
“No!” she screamed, unable to get away.
The first one attacked her, sinking its teeth into her throat. Another one grabbed onto her hair, slicing her face in its attempt to get to her. More of them surfaced, biting and clawing her. They were eating her alive. Somehow they knew to avoid the ropes, keeping her tied down.
However, her screams were not in vain.
A few minutes after the first demon made its attack, Jesse ran into the room.
“Hey!”
The demons retreated back into their place under the table with shrieks of fear. The smoke stopped when the last one disappeared beneath the stone.
“Jesse?” Rachael asked in disbelief.
“Rachael, love, why didn’t you tell me?”
He untied her and she clung to him, leaning against his chest and holding onto his coat.
“I didn’t want Elizabeth to hurt you,” she told him.
“I’m your guardian.” He lifted her off of the table, holding her close to his chest. “I’ve been trained since birth to destroy anything that could hurt you. I can handle her.”
He carried Rachael out of the room, turning down a hallway that led deeper into the heart of the caverns they were in.
“Jesse, the door is the other way,” Rachael realized.
“We’re not going to the door.”
She looked over Jesse’s shoulder to see numerous demons behind them, dragging themselves along the floor and panting with hunger.
“Jesse…”
She started to panic.
“Everything is going to go exactly as I want it.”
A door opened on its own in front of them, revealing an entrance straight into Hell.
“Jesse!”
She struggled to get away from him but he was too strong, tightening his grip to the point where it hurt her.
“Rachael, don’t you trust me?”
His voice was mocking her even as his face stayed sincere. He stopped at the edge of the room.
Thousands of demons writhed in the burning pit, climbing up the sides to get to Rachael.
“No, please!”
“Don’t you love me?” he asked in feigned concern. “Don’t you believe that I will always protect you?”
Then he started to let go.
“Don’t do this to me!”
She moved from trying to get away to trying to hold on.
“But, Rachael.” Even his face wasn’t sincere anymore. “I love you.”
He let go completely and she fell, screaming, over the edge.
Fifth day of The Countdown to The Deceived
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Hello Everyone,
We are on the fifth day of the countdown already! only 2 days before The Deceived is released! So exciting!!!
Today we have a very special post. A fan fiction on Joshua's childhood, written by Jennifer Clark
http://sknhammerstonebooks.webs.com/apps/blog/show/31176537-joshua-s-childhood-by-jennifer-clark
I loved this post and I think you guys will too! Jennifer is very nervous about this since she hasn't let anyone read her writing before so make sure you let her know you liked it.
We also have the giveaway of The deceived. Only a few days left to enter
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/60052-the-deceived
Lastly The Rift is still on sale for 99 cents. Make sure you read it before you read The Deceived
And don't forget that tomorrow there is a special surprise for the countdown.
Luck and Love,
SKN Hammerstone
Joshua's childhood by Jennifer Clark
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The year was 1100 AD I was six years old. My
name is Joshua; I am the angel of death. This book is to
help me to remember because with all of the craziness in
the world today, I fear I may be forced to forget. I’m
starting at the age of six because that was the most
significant change in my mortal life. This was the year that
destroyed my mother, the year that changed my life
forever. I was generally a happy child, with a normal
childhood. I grew up in a modest farm home on the
outskirts of a small village in the English Countryside. An
area now known as Wiltshire, near what is commonly
referred to as Stonehenge it was a very lovely area
indeed. Mother, Father and I travelled there once a year to
pay homage to the persons who built it. I had always
assumed the relationship between my parents was solid,
my father was always home at night for dinner, my mother
worked in the fields during the day and I helped her as
much as I could. Father always seemed very affectionate
and you could see the love he had for my mother when
you would catch him gazing at her.
I suppose looking back at the caste system it was a
little odd that my father didn’t work on the farm, or that his
hands were so soft, or that his clothing was so much finer
than my mothers, or even that he wouldn’t spend the night
in bed with mother and I…but hindsight is 20/20 and in the
summer months things became quite clear.
The winter had just ended, the fields were fallow, just
starting to become unfrozen for the spring, mother was
preparing to start planting the herbs in the garden outside
of our home along with our personal crops, the food we
grew for ourselves to live upon while the more noble folk
took the better crops that were in the fields. If they ever
found out that mother had her own garden every year that
produced much nicer crops than the farm fields did they
would stone her to death for being a witch, and stealing
from the Lord of the area. I always knew mother was
taking a chance with the small garden she kept at home,
but I was the one who tended it. Mother told father that
once…that time was one of the last I ever saw father.
As the weather continued to warm, the neighbor
sheered his sheep and gave mother one of the bags of
wool as a trade for some herbal something that she made,
something I noticed that she put in fathers drink when he
had dinner. I never questioned her as to what it was, but I
know that she never let me share a drink with father or
even drink from the same cup. I still wonder what was in
that stuff, but I digress, it probably isn’t interesting enough.
Father came home that evening and saw mother with the
wool, spinning it into thread. He was angry…so very
angry. He yelled at mother, she tried to calm him down,
but he just got angrier. I heard them yelling from my little
garden, I came into the kitchen to find father holding a
dagger at mother’s throat, saying that if he found her to be
unfaithful to him with the neighbor that he would kill her.
Then mother said the words that would change our lives
forever. “I’m tired of being your mistress, William, our son
is living a lie, the life of a bastard, and he isn’t even
entitled to his birthright as your son. The church will never
recognize him as your son unless we marry, and since
you are already married to Mathilda, our royal highness,
we will never have what we are entitled to as he is the
rightful heir to your throne.”
I had never seen father cower so at those words. I
never understood what they meant until many years later.
Father backed away from mother and left our home. It
was the beginning of the end.
Father started to visit more sporadically after that point,
his demeanor towards me grew colder, he still loved
mother very much but his heart was getting weaker.
Mother stopped giving him the herbs so his ailments
became worse, his nightmares from his battles started to
take over his mind until finally mad.
From then on, it was only Mother and I. She raised
me on her own, helping me to grow into the kind gentle
man I was before meeting Elizabeth. I changed that day,
ruined for the world, unable to marry the woman who was
betrothed to me. My beautiful Rochelle, she would never
accept me as the monster I had become.
Fourth day of the Countdown to The Deceived
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Hello Everyone,
Today we have 3 special posts for you! First off is Mark carver's definition of modern gothic literature
Next we have a slightly interesting twist on things with 2 comparison blog posts. One is by myself:
and the other is by Carole Gill
http://carolegillofficialauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/two-versions-of-death-both-gothic.html
So what are these posts and how are they related? In The Rift and The Deceived there is a character many of you know named Joshua. He is the angel of death (spoiler! Sorry). In Carole Gill's vampire series there is a character that is Death himself... or itself... you choose. In each of these posts the two characters were compared and contrasted; first by myself and then by Carole. Make sure you check it out 
The giveaway for The Deceived is still going on; enter here:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/60052-the-deceived
and The Rift is still on sale for 99 cents! It is a must read if you plan on reading The Deceived:
The Schedule has been shifting in light of a new, surprise, post coming on the 29th. Make sure you don't miss it!
Luck and Love,
SKN Hammerstone
"Death" from Carole Gill's perspective VS. Joshua the Angel of Death
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Today’s guest blog post is a combination of a comparison written by myself and Carole Gill on her character of Death and my character of the angel of death. Confused yet?
My blog post will be describing the differences and some similarities (comparing) Joshua to Death and Carole will be doing the same on her blog. Connected but different blog posts. So now that I have that explained: I will be focusing on the main difference between the two. But first I will give you an idea of what the characters are like.
Carole Gill is the author of a vampire series focusing on the dark, tormented vampire; Louis Dalton. This vampire is the son of a fallen angel and therefore indestructible; forever doomed to walk the earth and damned for eternity. His mortal enemy is another child of a fallen angel, Echo. However Echo is the perfect definition of Evil.
With both living immortal lives they are bound to meet Death sooner or later. Death is a very interesting character in this series. He finds no pleasure in humans, vampires, or any creatures. He doesn’t love or form relationships. As the son of Lilith and Lucifer he serves the single purpose of reaping the dead.
Then there is Joshua. Joshua is from my own series, The Vessel of Souls. He is introduced in the first book, The Rift.
He is the angel of death (not to be thought of as death. Joshua is not death itself, as he says in the second book, coming out on July 31st. He is simply a servant to the actual being) and he serves the purpose of reaping the dead.
That is where the similarities between Gill’s character of Death and my own character of the angel of death end.
The biggest difference between the two is that Death was born into the job and Joshua was forced into it.
Joshua was human once, about a thousand years before The Rift. He was a crusader and was known for caring about sparing lives, not taking them. One day he is visited by the angel of death, Azrael at the time, who tells him that his (Joshua’s) mother is going to be reaped in a week. After being tricked by an angel named Job, Joshua kills the angel of death rather than let his mother die.
His punishment for the murder is to become the very creature he killed. He is transformed into the angel of death and forced to reap the soul of his own mother as his first task.
Joshua is also not immune to the charms of human (or angel) women, unlike Gill’s character of Death. Joshua is very much a womanizer who is incredibly confused when he can’t get a suicidal teenage girl by the name of Rachael out of his head.
He even goes so far as to refuse to reap her soul after she attempts suicide in order to keep her living to discover why he has this attraction. Want more information? You’ll have to read The Rift and The Deceived.
As for Carole’s very interesting books, you can find the first one here:
Don’t forget to check out Carole’s side of the comparison with more info on Death on her website (http://carolegillofficialauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/two-versions-of-death-both-gothic.html?zx=36f72656ba929b45) and make sure to continue following the countdown to The Deceived. We have many more interesting posts on the way.
