Glamour
& Shadows
& Shadows
Glamour
& Shadows Book 1
& Shadows Book 1
by
Robert Hazelton
Robert Hazelton
Genre:
Urban Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
260
pages
pages
From
the Author of Drown the Heart and Creative Spark, this is where the
Society stories all begin with a dimming of the lights.
the Author of Drown the Heart and Creative Spark, this is where the
Society stories all begin with a dimming of the lights.
Monsters
Exist
Exist
Only
the Society keeps humanity blissfully ignorant of the dangers that
lurk within every shadow.
the Society keeps humanity blissfully ignorant of the dangers that
lurk within every shadow.
Incubus
Detective Algiers Stanton and his fairy partner Ophelia Dupre have
been working together for quite a while. One serious, one not so
much, they make a perfect team; complementing each other even as one
grates on the other's nerves.
Detective Algiers Stanton and his fairy partner Ophelia Dupre have
been working together for quite a while. One serious, one not so
much, they make a perfect team; complementing each other even as one
grates on the other's nerves.
When
they're called upon to investigate a grisly murder thought to be
committed by a shapeshifter, it looks like a routine case of clean &
close, everyone happy. But the complications of a millennia old
organization refuse to go quietly under the rug and when the past
rises up to shake the very pillars of the Society, the two
detective's lives may change forever in the process.
they're called upon to investigate a grisly murder thought to be
committed by a shapeshifter, it looks like a routine case of clean &
close, everyone happy. But the complications of a millennia old
organization refuse to go quietly under the rug and when the past
rises up to shake the very pillars of the Society, the two
detective's lives may change forever in the process.
The
shadows await!
shadows await!
Chapter 1
Informants, Murder and a Fairy
-A Journal Entry by Algiers Stanton
“God damn it, Algiers is back.” Andy shouted the message as he rushed across the empty dance floor toward the bar. He ran bonelike fingers through unwashed hair, casting a look over his shoulder. “What the hell are we gonna do?”
“Shit.” Wally, the barkeep, made a basket case cat lady look like a nubile prom queen. He harbored enough complexes to keep a therapist busy for two lifetimes. “I don’t know, but we gotta get rid of him. He left my balls in a sling last time he rolled in. God damn incubus.”
“Yeah…” Andy grimaced as he mounted a stool. One might’ve mistaken these two idiots for lovers the way they carried on but really, they never talked about anything personal. “That was a terrible experience.”
“Was it?” I stepped into the room and held the door with my foot. I heard their entire conversation as clearly as if I were sitting next to them. Their drama level made me feel contractually obligated to give them shit. “Here I thought we had something memorable, pleasant even. Ah well. There’s always next time, right?”
“Go to hell, Stanton,” Wally shot back at me with just enough bravado to convince Andy he wasn’t afraid. “Our tip was good. I know it. I heard you took down that blood sacrifice racket no problem cause of us. Don’t come in here and toss out threats. We don’t deserve your shit.”
“Relax, relax.” I felt like a cat watching two unsuspecting mice nibble at cheese, each struck with casual ignorance of the danger I represented. “I’m not here to play but I am here to see what you can tell me about the slaughterhouse the cops turned over downtown.”
“Why the hell would we know anything about that?” Andy glared at me with piss yellow eyes. The underlying message begged for me to leave and the fear he tried to mask wrung a predatory smile from me. I mounted the bar stool to his right. My presence made him stammer. “W-we just hang out h-h-here all day, man. N-n-nothin’ ta tell…”
“He’s right, Stanton.” Wally shrugged his beefy shoulders while nervously polishing a glass. “Ain’t heard ‘bout no slaughterhouse. Why? You let one of your loonies out on the street again? Should I close early tonight?”
“Look around this place. If the health board came in they’d put your ass up for crimes against humanity. Close early? I’m not sure you should be open at all but commentary on cleanliness aside, I know you’ve heard something. You want to test me, I’m game. I’ll show you what’s worse than a sling and a couple boo-boos.”
“Jesus, man!” Wally slammed the glass down so hard, I couldn’t believe it didn’t break. He cast a wary gaze about the room as if someone might be listening. Somehow, I refrained from rolling my eyes. Customers didn’t frequent their place, only roaches. “Alright, you know Melvin?”
“Not the mouse.” I prayed he didn’t mean that Melvin but really, how many mothers burdened their kids with such a name? “Please not him.”
“Yeah, him.” Wally nodded, maintaining a grim expression. “He came in here talkin’ all kinds of shit about some shifter going nuts in public. Tore a couple people up then dragged ‘em off. Something must’ve interrupted the beast this time. Maybe Mel knows somethin’ else. It’d be a start.”
“Lovely. You guys hear anything else, call me. I need concrete info, not second-hand shit.”
“Whatever, Stanton,” Wally scoffed. “What the hell do we get out of this ‘relationship’ anyway?”
I lifted my brows. “Interesting word choice, Wally. Relationship. I thought you guys just wanted to be informants but if we’re going somewhere else…hell, you want to step in the back room?”
“Whoa there, man.” Wally’s hands lifted defensively and Andy moved off his seat, slinking away. “We’ll call, alright? Don’t…you know, don’t turn it on.”
“You mean don’t turn you on…right?”
“Exactly.” Wally’s skin turned pink as a spring sow but I didn’t have time to bother him anymore. Duty called.
“See you guys around.” I tossed a fifty down. “Another fifty if you get me a solid lead. You got it?”
A meaty hand snatched the cash before I even stood up. Loyalty seemed easy enough to buy in my business. The currency depended on the subject. Some wanted money and others accepted alternative means of payment. I happened to be especially designed to provide rapture as an option, which tended to have the best exchange rate available.
Sexual pleasure as a commodity came about when someone realized touching their private parts felt good. When they got bored, they looked around for something else to push it against. As an incubus, I operated as a carnal virtuoso, able to bring people to places of excitement they likely never imagined possible.
Last time I worked with Wally, he held out on me. I brushed my fingers against the side of his neck and set him on a path of self-fulfillment. Three hours later, when he finally regained control, the aforementioned sling came out. He learned the lesson and promised to offer less resistance in the future.
Rain came down in torrents, cascading heavily for a few moments then going back to the lazy mist common to the Pacific Northwest. I drew my trench coat tightly about me and paused to survey the distance between the porch of the bar and my car. I should’ve brought an umbrella.
I didn’t see anyone out walking for blocks in either direction. Hardly any cars took to the streets either. Wally’s place occupied an undesirable part of town but I expected some people. Weather rarely stopped anyone from enjoying a little night life. Maybe something else kept them at home.
I jogged to the car, started it up and pulled onto the wet road. My headlights struggled to pierce the gloom, massive drops hammering the windshield. A news lady talked about the crime scene downtown and warned people to stay away. I wondered if the message came from our people or some paranoid human producer.
A vacant building just off a busy street became a slaughterhouse. Cops got there fast but Society people intercepted them before they did any real damage. We got the corpse away from their forensics and prepared a story for the media. Standard tasks for our cleanup crews but those guys didn’t like repeat performances.
Which is where we came in.
My partner and I worked out of a small place in a decent neighborhood. I picked the area because it felt safe from human thugs who liked to break into cars. The windows on my ride cost too much to risk them being broken on account of some dumb ass wanting my stereo.
It also came with a great view of a lake.
“Hey, Ophelia—” I stepped into the office and paused. My partner propped her feet on the edge of her desk, knees parted. Leather pants clung to shapely legs all the way up to a studded belt. She left her white blouse partially unbuttoned, showing off some chest. My eyes crawled up from heeled boot clad feet to short, shaggy cut alabaster hair.
I seemed to have interrupted her lunch or at least a snack. Ophelia’s tongue caressed a spoon with all the teasing adoration a lover might impart during a drawn out session of oral sex. Lidded eyes held a hint of pleasure I’d seen during intimate times. Red jam stained her lips as she continued to carefully clean the stiff, metal utensil.
My God, she gets me going!
“Lunch?” I cleared my throat, fighting back the desire filling my tone. “Or snack?”
Ophelia tilted her head, looking directly at my crotch. The matter-of-fact expression made me uncomfortable, which rarely happened with me. I’d lived a long time without shame but somehow, this fairy’s blunt manner of dealing with my natural inclinations made me second guess myself constantly.
“Uh huh,” Ophelia replied. She licked her lips in a seductive way and what made it all the more infuriating was the fact I doubted she even meant to. “One for me at least but neither for you.”
Ophelia referred to my inability to feed off her kind. Fairy essence held little in common with the human variety and not in a pizza versus broccoli way. The intensity of her spirit most accurately felt like downing an entire bottle of Everclear on an empty stomach. The best outcome involved severe inebriation but death was also a distinct possibility.
“Glad you felt it necessary to point that out,” I muttered.
Ophelia tossed the spoon down and put her hands behind her head, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. “I’m bored, Algy. Really bored! When’re we going out to solve this crime?”
“God damn it, girl! I’ve asked you a hundred times! Can you please stop calling me Algy? It reminds me of pond scum.”
“Nope!” Ophelia grinned. “I like it. It’s shorter and easier to remember.”
“Shorter?” I clenched my fist. “Easier to remember? What are you, a goldfish? Besides, you’ve known me a year. You’re not going to forget. And Algiers has two syllables. You practically say it the exact same way!”
“Whatevs. Files came. They’re in the box…and don’t take that the wrong way, saucy pants.”
“I’ll try not to.” I sat at the desk and grabbed the envelope. “Did you look through this yet?”
“Why would I?”
“Um…you want to solve the crime? No…no, probably not. Oh! How about it’s your job? Pick any reason at all.”
“I know how shifters kill,” Ophelia replied. “This definitely sounds like one of them. Body torn apart, several pieces chewed up or entirely gone and mangled beyond recognition. I dunno about you, but I hope it’s a shifter because then we’ll be the ones to stop it. Oh, and the guy who dropped off the file told me everything he found. Which is why I didn’t read it.”
“You might’ve mentioned that part before I…” I let it go, shaking my head. “Anyway, I hadn’t thought about a human doing this.”
“Why? We don’t corner the market on nutter.”
“I guess I’m just too caught up in what we do.” I flipped open the file and frowned at the picture. Cops found the victim in a vacant office building, mangled so badly they’d require some clever methods to identify the body. Something squished the head and all the soft spots in the torso were savaged. “Maybe they brought a dog along with them.”
“Poor poochy!” Ophelia went to the fridge, bending over to grab something from the bottom shelf. I appreciated the view, enough that it made up for how much she annoyed me. “They do remember stuff you know.”
“Huh? Who remembers stuff? Dogs?”
“Goldfish.” Ophelia returned with a bottle of soda. “Or at least, they have conditioned response. That’s pretty much like memory.”
Nightlife
Interrupted
Interrupted
Glamour
& Shadows Book 2
& Shadows Book 2
221
pages
pages
From
the Author of Glamour & Shadows, Drown the Heart and Creative
Spark comes a vampire story with heart, soul and a twenty-sided
die.
the Author of Glamour & Shadows, Drown the Heart and Creative
Spark comes a vampire story with heart, soul and a twenty-sided
die.
Roll
for Initiative
for Initiative
Vinny
Presaro has it made. A newly created vampire, he owns the hottest
game store in town, wiling away his nights with role playing and
graphic novels. His life would be idyllic if not for his terrible
luck with romance and the vivid, disturbing dreams he has every
couple weeks. They seemed like mere fantasy so he did his best to
write them off (the dreams, sure but also the chances of being near a
woman without her nervously eyeing the door).
Presaro has it made. A newly created vampire, he owns the hottest
game store in town, wiling away his nights with role playing and
graphic novels. His life would be idyllic if not for his terrible
luck with romance and the vivid, disturbing dreams he has every
couple weeks. They seemed like mere fantasy so he did his best to
write them off (the dreams, sure but also the chances of being near a
woman without her nervously eyeing the door).
His
latest nightmare came in the form of an apocalyptic scene complete
with rivers of blood, pieces of people and a demonic girl dancing
amongst the carnage. When she comes walking into the store, he’s
faced with the possibility that he could be having premonitions and
not a chemical reaction to bottled blood.
latest nightmare came in the form of an apocalyptic scene complete
with rivers of blood, pieces of people and a demonic girl dancing
amongst the carnage. When she comes walking into the store, he’s
faced with the possibility that he could be having premonitions and
not a chemical reaction to bottled blood.
Vinny
reaches out to investigator Ophelia Dupre to help him understand his
revelation. Unfortunately, she has some trouble with Vampires so
their working relationship is strained to say the least. Armed with
pop culture references, preconceived notions and a couple big guns,
these two very well may be the only thing standing between the world
and the end of days.
reaches out to investigator Ophelia Dupre to help him understand his
revelation. Unfortunately, she has some trouble with Vampires so
their working relationship is strained to say the least. Armed with
pop culture references, preconceived notions and a couple big guns,
these two very well may be the only thing standing between the world
and the end of days.
We
might be in trouble
might be in trouble
The
Hermes Foundation
Hermes Foundation
Glamour
& Shadows Book 3
& Shadows Book 3
258
pages
pages
From
the Author of Glamour & Shadows and Nightlife Interrupted comes
the third book set in the world of the Society.
the Author of Glamour & Shadows and Nightlife Interrupted comes
the third book set in the world of the Society.
Magic
is Real
is Real
Lillian
Bowan has seen a lot. A former war correspondent turned struggling
journalist, she has been searching for the one story which will
satisfy her ambition, to be part of something meaningful. When she
rushed down for a coveted TV spot covering a gas main explosion, she
never dreamed it would put her on a dangerous path of
discovery.
Bowan has seen a lot. A former war correspondent turned struggling
journalist, she has been searching for the one story which will
satisfy her ambition, to be part of something meaningful. When she
rushed down for a coveted TV spot covering a gas main explosion, she
never dreamed it would put her on a dangerous path of
discovery.
Nicolas
Chabrier lives in a world of demons and mysticism, where vampires are
real and shape shifters stalk the night. An independent wizard
trained by an esoteric group outside the bounds of reality, he tries
to keep a low profile out of the supernatural spotlight. When he
saves Lillian from a demonic incursion and tries to erase her memory,
he finds something far more insidious than a random invasion.
Chabrier lives in a world of demons and mysticism, where vampires are
real and shape shifters stalk the night. An independent wizard
trained by an esoteric group outside the bounds of reality, he tries
to keep a low profile out of the supernatural spotlight. When he
saves Lillian from a demonic incursion and tries to erase her memory,
he finds something far more insidious than a random invasion.
But
not always wondrous
not always wondrous
The
Midnight Turn
Midnight Turn
Glamour
& Shadows Book 4
& Shadows Book 4
202
pages
pages
Hollywood
beckons!
beckons!
Genevieve
St. Claire’s novel The Midnight Turn became a big hit when it was
initially released. Her meteoric ride to genre fame brought her to
various conventions, talk shows and workshops across the country.
When a movie producer decides to option the book for a big budget
movie, her head spins with the possibilities, especially since she
can’t claim the rights to her first book, a well-known horror novel
published in 1818…
St. Claire’s novel The Midnight Turn became a big hit when it was
initially released. Her meteoric ride to genre fame brought her to
various conventions, talk shows and workshops across the country.
When a movie producer decides to option the book for a big budget
movie, her head spins with the possibilities, especially since she
can’t claim the rights to her first book, a well-known horror novel
published in 1818…
Gen’s
second dive into literature was inspired by her vampire creator,
Christian Lark, an unpredictable and romantic figure she’s polished
into something a modern audience can tolerate. Enter the proposed
leading man, Jacob Moran, wizard and descendant of the Lark line. His
semblance is uncanny, his youth intoxicating but there’s also Allan
Taylor, the handsome screenwriter hired to adapt the book.
second dive into literature was inspired by her vampire creator,
Christian Lark, an unpredictable and romantic figure she’s polished
into something a modern audience can tolerate. Enter the proposed
leading man, Jacob Moran, wizard and descendant of the Lark line. His
semblance is uncanny, his youth intoxicating but there’s also Allan
Taylor, the handsome screenwriter hired to adapt the book.
With
half a dozen lives intermingling amidst the chaos of film production,
The Midnight Turn explores a human experience through the eyes of the
supernatural.
half a dozen lives intermingling amidst the chaos of film production,
The Midnight Turn explores a human experience through the eyes of the
supernatural.
Enjoy
the show!
the show!
Dark
Side of the Vale
Side of the Vale
Glamour
& Shadows Book 5
& Shadows Book 5
295
pages
pages
A
Messy Crime
Messy Crime
A
seemingly normal family is murdered, their home turned into a
horrifying scene of torture and chaos. Their deaths follow a pattern,
an extreme version of three serial killers terrorizing the country.
The Society steps in to explore any supernatural angle the case may
present and begin to work with Special Agent Rebecca Marsh of a newly
formed FBI group code named The Park. Versed in all manner of
paranormal creatures, she is to act as an ambassador to ensure humans
and monsters can work together.
seemingly normal family is murdered, their home turned into a
horrifying scene of torture and chaos. Their deaths follow a pattern,
an extreme version of three serial killers terrorizing the country.
The Society steps in to explore any supernatural angle the case may
present and begin to work with Special Agent Rebecca Marsh of a newly
formed FBI group code named The Park. Versed in all manner of
paranormal creatures, she is to act as an ambassador to ensure humans
and monsters can work together.
Such
a dramatic change comes as quite the shock to Incubus detective
Algiers Stanton and his fairy partner Ophelia Dupre. They land the
case and the task of playing politics with their new human colleague.
After spending years ensuring humans never learn about them, this
goes against everything they know but they’ll need all the help
they can get to stop the murderers before they strike again. For
these fiends are not merely ending lives, they are collecting
ingredients for a sinister plan, one which may destroy the world as
we know it.
a dramatic change comes as quite the shock to Incubus detective
Algiers Stanton and his fairy partner Ophelia Dupre. They land the
case and the task of playing politics with their new human colleague.
After spending years ensuring humans never learn about them, this
goes against everything they know but they’ll need all the help
they can get to stop the murderers before they strike again. For
these fiends are not merely ending lives, they are collecting
ingredients for a sinister plan, one which may destroy the world as
we know it.
The
Detectives Have Returned
Detectives Have Returned
Fairy
Tale Ending
Tale Ending
Glamour
& Shadows Book 6
& Shadows Book 6
214
pages
pages
Desperation
Breeds Obedience
Breeds Obedience
Renard
Martin lives a simple life. As a hitman for a Society bigwig, he
takes on targets the former Cleaners used to handle. As a graduate of
the infamous Lark sanctum, he’s a dangerous and irreverent person
who has no desire to remain beholden to anyone. After his family was
brutally murdered, he thought he lost them all but then he heard a
rumor. His sister Victoria may still be alive and the vampire Marius
Sontag promised to help him find her…for the price of becoming an
assassin.
Martin lives a simple life. As a hitman for a Society bigwig, he
takes on targets the former Cleaners used to handle. As a graduate of
the infamous Lark sanctum, he’s a dangerous and irreverent person
who has no desire to remain beholden to anyone. After his family was
brutally murdered, he thought he lost them all but then he heard a
rumor. His sister Victoria may still be alive and the vampire Marius
Sontag promised to help him find her…for the price of becoming an
assassin.
Belia
Dellacroix never got to live for herself. The ward of an ancient
vampire, every event of her existence has been carefully planned,
governed and censored. This has not left her without guile, however
and once she discovered the grim fate her guardian had in store for
her, she took drastic action. Stepping out means incredible risk and
so she turns to the only person she can in her carefully designed
world: a certain Society hitman looking for something dear to
him.
Dellacroix never got to live for herself. The ward of an ancient
vampire, every event of her existence has been carefully planned,
governed and censored. This has not left her without guile, however
and once she discovered the grim fate her guardian had in store for
her, she took drastic action. Stepping out means incredible risk and
so she turns to the only person she can in her carefully designed
world: a certain Society hitman looking for something dear to
him.
But
will Renard prove too unpredictable and harsh for her needs? Holding
leverage over his head might well be the most dangerous thing she’s
ever done but desperate times call for desperate measures. Without
him, she’ll be an unwilling sacrifice, killed for a chance to claim
ancient power but if she can keep her protector on track and under
control, she may just get the fairy tale ending she’s always hoped
for.
will Renard prove too unpredictable and harsh for her needs? Holding
leverage over his head might well be the most dangerous thing she’s
ever done but desperate times call for desperate measures. Without
him, she’ll be an unwilling sacrifice, killed for a chance to claim
ancient power but if she can keep her protector on track and under
control, she may just get the fairy tale ending she’s always hoped
for.
The
Lark Legacy
Lark Legacy
A
Prequel to The Hermes Foundation
Prequel to The Hermes Foundation
Glamour
& Shadows Book 7
& Shadows Book 7
Without
Direction
Direction
Ruby
Lark comes from a long line of curious and reckless wizards. Her
father, Henry Lark, runs a strict sanctum where students are taught
through a brutal curriculum of harsh consequences and cruelty. He
seems to have some nebulous purpose for her in mind but his
dispassion and formality have kept them apart, master and student
instead of parent and child. With no friends, no recourse and no
sanctuary, she steeled herself for a life of service to a cause she
would probably never understand.
Lark comes from a long line of curious and reckless wizards. Her
father, Henry Lark, runs a strict sanctum where students are taught
through a brutal curriculum of harsh consequences and cruelty. He
seems to have some nebulous purpose for her in mind but his
dispassion and formality have kept them apart, master and student
instead of parent and child. With no friends, no recourse and no
sanctuary, she steeled herself for a life of service to a cause she
would probably never understand.
Mortimer
Dampton started at the Lark Sanctum at the end of his education. A
brash, charming wizard, he comes with a wealth of necromantic
knowledge. Henry assigns him to partner with Ruby, who instantly
takes a dislike to his overly familiar, roguish personality. But he
may just hold the key to her salvation, even as he begins to defy the
edicts of her father, sending them both on a course to their
fates.
Dampton started at the Lark Sanctum at the end of his education. A
brash, charming wizard, he comes with a wealth of necromantic
knowledge. Henry assigns him to partner with Ruby, who instantly
takes a dislike to his overly familiar, roguish personality. But he
may just hold the key to her salvation, even as he begins to defy the
edicts of her father, sending them both on a course to their
fates.
Without
Limits
Limits
Robert
Hazelton has been writing short fiction, novels and music his entire
life. As the founding member of Deadly Nightshade Botanical Society
and a long time member of the band Abney Park, he has traveled
extensively and performed countless shows in exotic locales.
Hazelton has been writing short fiction, novels and music his entire
life. As the founding member of Deadly Nightshade Botanical Society
and a long time member of the band Abney Park, he has traveled
extensively and performed countless shows in exotic locales.
Robert
writes in a variety of genres but keeps drifting back to modern
fantasy/horror. He considers Elizabeth Moon, Frank Herbert, and
Steven Pressfield to be his biggest influences.
writes in a variety of genres but keeps drifting back to modern
fantasy/horror. He considers Elizabeth Moon, Frank Herbert, and
Steven Pressfield to be his biggest influences.
Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
Congrats on the tour and I appreciate the book description and the great giveaway as well. Love the tours, I get to find books and share with my sisters the ones I know they would enjoy reading and they both love to read. Thank you!
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