The Book Breakup: November 2015

Today I'm honoured to introduce you to Judy Teel, author of Savage Magic (Shifty Magic, #3). She has a guest post for us on the lessons she learned from the bad guy, as well as an excerpt. Judy will be awarding $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Enter to win a $20 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lessons I Learned From a Bad Guy

Lord Bellmonte, or as Addison disrespectfully calls him, Bellmonte, is not someone you’d invite home to meet the family. Not just because he’s a vampire. Above and beyond that hazardous fact, Bellmonte is someone you really don’t want noticing you. He’s that dangerous.

He’s also been the big surprise as I’ve created the Shifty Magic series.

I originally cast Bellmonte as the quintessential bad guy—pushy, unpleasant and threatening, more the gangster or mob boss type than a brilliant puppet master kind of guy. Until he turned out to have his own ideas about how things should go, which is typical of him.

As I wrote Shifty Magic (Book 1) and worked with this intriguing character, his unexpected and sophisticated snark emerged and evolved into the perfect foil for Addison’s take-no-prisoners style. I was thrilled. I began to look forward to scenes with her and Bellmonte, even while struggling to keep him under control. No star likes a secondary character upstaging her, even in novels. (Which is why I had to temporarily bench him for Savage Magic, Book 3.)

And then a strange thing happened.

Despite all his manipulative and plotting ways, I began to admire this ruthless, ambitious vampire exec. I was shocked. Bellmonte’s the kind of guy who’d snap your neck as soon as look at you, or order everyone you care about slaughtered if it suited his bigger picture. How could I like someone like that?

But as I wrote Undercover Magic (Book 2), something unexpected happened. His character deepened, becoming more layered, and I realized that maybe some of his attitude wasn’t completely without merit. Even if the direction he prefers isn’t the one I’d choose for myself (or anyone I know).

Maybe, there were things we could all learn from the self-serving, charming Lord Bellmonte.

10 Rules to Live By (According to Lord Bellmonte)

Never tolerate having a delicious meal interrupted.

Always look your best, you never know who might show up at your door.

Never do anything for only one reason.

Always have two backup plans, three if you’re less than 100 years old.

If you’re obsessively intrigued by a difficult person, keep it to yourself.

Never pass up the opportunity to give a Were a hard time.

Being fabulously rich is delightful. Never let anyone tell you any differently.

Where your age is concerned, always keep them guessing.

Keep your enemies close, and your relatives closer. The latter is more likely to stab you in the back.

Above all, always keep your sense of humor. It will irritate your enemies in the most delicious manner.

Judy will be awarding $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. I would like to Encourage you to follow the tour and comment because the more you comment the better your chances of winning! The tour dates can be found at the bottom of this post.
Enter to win a $20 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: Savage Magic
Author: Judy Teel

Blurb: A deadly disease from an unknown origin…
Addison Kittner and ex-FBI agent Cooper Daine arrive at Bone Clan expecting a warm welcome. Instead they’re imprisoned and placed under quarantine, where they discover that the werewolf mountain Clans are being decimated by a deadly plague which can’t be cured.
An old obligation that changes everything… With only a few days to live, Cooper’s brother, Alpha of Bone Clan, asks Cooper to fulfill his promise, one that’s crucial to their Clan’s survival. But if he does, Cooper risks loosing Addison. Forever.
An ancient creature bred for genocide… Determined to stop the plague and cure Cooper’s brother, Addison defies Clan law and sneaks away to an ancient ruin which might hold the key. There she discovers an unexpected link to her past and inadvertently calls forth an immortal monster that will destroy the paranormal races protecting humanity if it can’t be stopped. But as Cooper and Addison battle to stop the annihilation of the Clans and the forces trying to tear their bond apart, something even more powerful and deadly gathers just out of sight… And prepares to strike.

Read the first two in the series:

Excerpt

The scent of blood got stronger, pulling my thoughts back and making my heart pound a little harder against my chest. Slipping a knife from the sheath inside my right boot, I watched the flutter of shadows on the path below where it turned and disappeared behind a thick wall of laurels. Slow breath in…Silent breath out…

Deeper shadows emerged and took shape — a man and a woman, both dressed for living outdoors and blending in. And there was Cooper, complacently allowing them to roughly pull him along between them, his nose and a cut on his cheek seeping blood. Weird. Cooper was built like an early twenty-first century Olympic gymnast and I’d seen him take out opponents in less than ten seconds without a single blow landing on him. How had they managed to subdue him?

I watched them come closer and pass below me. The woman on one side of Cooper was medium height with light skin and dark red hair that she’d pulled back into a short ponytail with a strip of leather. The man on the other side was tall and muscular with tanned skin, his bright red hair in a military cut.

I adjusted the soles of my logger boots against the branch under me to give myself a more solid launch, judged the distance — and jumped.

About the Author

Judy Teel was born in Virginia and moved to North Carolina just before middle school. She's a fiction author and novelist writing in the dystopian urban fantasy genre. Her stories deliver mystery with some thriller elements, a kick-butt heroine with a large dash of snark in her, a bit more than a touch of romance with a guy that makes readers' hearts beat a little faster, and a wild ride full of action and emotion from start to finish.

Shifty Magic is permanently free on all platforms and Undercover Magic is free as a thank you gift for anyone who signs up on my readers list: http://judyteel.com/my-free-book/

Website: http://www.judyteel.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudyTeelBooks

Twitter: @JudyTeelBooks / https://twitter.com/JudyTeelBooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5023501.Judy_Teel

Amazon Author’s Page: http://goo.gl/a7oKub

Tumblr: http://judyteel.tumblr.com

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

Links to books

AMAZON:

Shifty Magic (Book 1): http://amzn.com/B00CXQ7EOE

Undercover Magic (Book 2): http://amzn.com/B00H7M48KM

Savage Magic (Book 3): http://www.amazon.com/Savage-Magic-Shifty-Book-ebook/dp/B00Z3NTSFC/