Author: C. Vonzale Lewis
Narrator: Taylor Barton
Length: 11 hours 17 minutes
Publisher: The Parliament House
Released: Mar. 19, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Smart-mouthed Nicole Fontane has a way of getting herself into trouble. She’s been fired from every job she’s had but still refuses to work in her father’s apothecary shop because of his practice of Earth Magick. On Tulare Island where Nicole grew up, Magick has always been a way of life - one she’s determined to avoid at all costs.
With less than 200 dollars in the bank and rent due, Nicole is forced to take a job at Tribec Insurance as a last resort. Little does she realize, the moment she sets foot inside the building, she becomes a pawn. A sinister force has set its sights on her and will stop at nothing to use her in a sadistic game.
Tribec’s proprietors, the Stewart family, are curiously preoccupied with the Naqada, the mysterious pre-dynastic Egyptian society. Nicole finds it creepy, but on the bright side, the job reconnects her with her estranged friend, Marta. Yet the eerie atmosphere, disappearing Magick wards, and the smell of blood inside Tribec bring Nicole to a startling conclusion - the Stewarts are practicing Blood Magick, the deadliest of the Five Principles.
By the time Nicole uncovers the truth, Marta and her four children have gone missing, and all signs implicate the Stewarts and an archaic blood ritual to an Old One, a Naqada god imprisoned on Tulare Island. Battling the evil of Blood Magick will demand Nicole to confront a hidden past and unlock the Magick buried within. But can she set aside her deep-rooted fears to work with a team of vigilante Mages? Or will the clock run out on Marta and her children - and on Nicole?
Carla Vonzale Lewis (C. Vonzale Lewis) likes her martini’s shaken…never stirred. Though she was born in Georgia, please don’t mistake her for a Georgia peach. She’s more like a prickly pear. Speaking of being born, someone asked her recently if she remembered her birth, and all she had to say was, “Yes, I do remember that handsy doctor pulling me out into the cold. Right Bastard!!!”
Despite being born in the South, she grew up in the North. California to be exact. And every once in a great while, she gets to experience all four seasons. But mostly, it’s just heat.
She published her first short story, MONSTERS, after winning a contest with Filles Vertes Publishing. You should have heard her scream in BJ’s when they announced the winners. Third place, but it was still something!
Not long after that, her debut novel, LINEAGE, was released on July 16, 2019 with Parliament House. And she fully intends to ride that joy for the rest of her life.
When she’s not concocting her next contemporary fantasy story, she enjoys reading, binge watching shows on Netflix, and trying to convince her husband that getting a dog is a wonderful idea.
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Taylor Barton is an introverted Aquarius living out her days just outside of Houston, Texas. Born in Texas but raised in Louisiana she went to college at Louisiana State University and graduated with a BA in Theatre then returned to Texas.
About nine months ago, she was looking for something to do outside of her day job that would combine her love of reading while also using her theatre skills and stumbled into audiobook narration. Thus, a beautiful side hustle was born. She hopes to have this one day be a decent income and ditch her day job to work at home.Fell in love with reading thanks to Harry Potter. Since then it’s been a lovely relationship with books. She’s drawn to all things fantasy and supernatural. These books give her life and devours them.
When she’s not working on audiobooks or reading in general she’s watching Netflix, playing video games, arts and crafts, and spending time with her family.
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Q&A with Protagonist Nicole Fontane
- Interviewer: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
- Nicole: Really? You don’t know who I am?
- Interviewer: Ummm…*stares down at notes* Well, for the reader of course!
- Nicole: *giving the side-eye* Sure. My name is Nicole Fontane and I live on Tulare Island. I have an unhealthy love for cheeseburgers and extra crispy French fries and beer. I also loathe customer service. I believe some evil spirit animal invented that profession. My love life is full of wonder and, well, that may be a little TMI.
- Interviewer: I understand you practice magick.
- Nicole: Who the hell told you that?
- Interviewer: *sweating* I didn’t realize it was a secret.
- Nicole: *looking down* This is a little painful for me to talk about. Next question please.
- Interviewer: Do you have a significant other?
- Nicole: Define significant.
- Interviewer: Is this off limits, too?
- Nicole: *sighing* No. I just. Okay look. I just found out some pretty disturbing things about myself. I don’t have a boyfriend. I didn’t realize I wanted one. Or, no, that’s not right. Anyway. It’s not important. I’m just not in the right headspace for this interview. You want to know about me, read LINEAGE. I’m all over the pages of that book! Like the author dug into my soul and pulled out all the bad parts. No, that’s not right. *Get’s up* I have to go.
- Interviewer: *stares at Nicole as she walks away* Well, that was… weird.
Q&A with Author C. Vonzale Lewis
- What was the inspiration for this book?
- I used to work in a call center. I don’t recommend this job for ANYONE! Once in a blue moon, the major players would come to our center for a center wide meeting. I use to wonder what they did all day. Like what exactly was their job. So in answer to that question, I wrote my first book based on a woman getting a job in a call center and learning her employers were sacrificing people. Morbid, I know. But I did warn you NOT to work in a call center.
- Do you have a favorite character in your book? Who and why?
- Yes, while I do LOVE my main character, Nicole. I am in awe of my side character, Rachel. She is just the right mix of crazy and sane and it was fun writing about her.
- Do you usually outline or just go with it?
- I just go with it! But I do find that in the midst of writing, scenes come to me. I keep a notepad near me so I can jot these gems down. So, no, I don’t outline, but I do follow some bullet points.
- What do you find to be the hardest thing about writing?
- Sitting down and getting in the groove. If I spend my time thinking about writing and never take the step toward putting words on paper, then I will never do it. But once I do sit down, and take those first awkward steps, I can get into a real nice rhythm.
- The best thing?
- Creating characters! I love laughing with them, crying with them, and just going on adventures with them. I love digging into their stories and finding the roots of their existence.
- When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
- When my mother bought me a typewriter when I was eight. I think I was amazed at how I could put words on paper. And, of course, I loved reading stories and having stories read to me. All those wonderful adventures in one book! I thought, I can do that!
- What’s your favorite book you’ve read this year?
- Circle of the Moon—by Faith Hunter. There is just something wonderful about her characters and the depth in which she writes them. And, of course, her plots are rich with history and lore. Mythology is my jam. I can get behind any fantasy story that has a really interesting backstory behind it.
- And what’s your favorite book ever?
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is the first book that came to mind when I read this question. But seriously, I’d have to say I have MANY favorite books. And this interview would turn into a thesis statement if I listed them all. LOL!
- What future books do you have planned next?
- I have seven books to write in my Blood and Sacrifice Chronicles series and I want to finish three others that are right there ready to be polished. So, the answer is…A LOT!
- Do you have any advice for other writers out there?
- Never listen to advice that tells you how and what to write! Sit down, tell your story, and then go through it. Make sure you read in your genre and others as well. You never know what ideas you might come up with. Writing is an evolving process. You will stumble but it’s when you do stumble that you learn the most. I have found that most writing advice is really just another person’s pet peeves dressed up to look like law. IGNORE IT ALL AND WRITE!
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- Nicole: Really? You don’t know who I am?
- Nicole: *giving the side-eye* Sure. My name is Nicole Fontane and I live on Tulare Island. I have an unhealthy love for cheeseburgers and extra crispy French fries and beer. I also loathe customer service. I believe some evil spirit animal invented that profession. My love life is full of wonder and, well, that may be a little TMI.
- Nicole: Who the hell told you that?
- Nicole: *looking down* This is a little painful for me to talk about. Next question please.
- Nicole: Define significant.
- Nicole: *sighing* No. I just. Okay look. I just found out some pretty disturbing things about myself. I don’t have a boyfriend. I didn’t realize I wanted one. Or, no, that’s not right. Anyway. It’s not important. I’m just not in the right headspace for this interview. You want to know about me, read LINEAGE. I’m all over the pages of that book! Like the author dug into my soul and pulled out all the bad parts. No, that’s not right. *Get’s up* I have to go.
- I used to work in a call center. I don’t recommend this job for ANYONE! Once in a blue moon, the major players would come to our center for a center wide meeting. I use to wonder what they did all day. Like what exactly was their job. So in answer to that question, I wrote my first book based on a woman getting a job in a call center and learning her employers were sacrificing people. Morbid, I know. But I did warn you NOT to work in a call center.
- Yes, while I do LOVE my main character, Nicole. I am in awe of my side character, Rachel. She is just the right mix of crazy and sane and it was fun writing about her.
- I just go with it! But I do find that in the midst of writing, scenes come to me. I keep a notepad near me so I can jot these gems down. So, no, I don’t outline, but I do follow some bullet points.
- Sitting down and getting in the groove. If I spend my time thinking about writing and never take the step toward putting words on paper, then I will never do it. But once I do sit down, and take those first awkward steps, I can get into a real nice rhythm.
- Creating characters! I love laughing with them, crying with them, and just going on adventures with them. I love digging into their stories and finding the roots of their existence.
- When my mother bought me a typewriter when I was eight. I think I was amazed at how I could put words on paper. And, of course, I loved reading stories and having stories read to me. All those wonderful adventures in one book! I thought, I can do that!
- Circle of the Moon—by Faith Hunter. There is just something wonderful about her characters and the depth in which she writes them. And, of course, her plots are rich with history and lore. Mythology is my jam. I can get behind any fantasy story that has a really interesting backstory behind it.
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is the first book that came to mind when I read this question. But seriously, I’d have to say I have MANY favorite books. And this interview would turn into a thesis statement if I listed them all. LOL!
- I have seven books to write in my Blood and Sacrifice Chronicles series and I want to finish three others that are right there ready to be polished. So, the answer is…A LOT!
- Never listen to advice that tells you how and what to write! Sit down, tell your story, and then go through it. Make sure you read in your genre and others as well. You never know what ideas you might come up with. Writing is an evolving process. You will stumble but it’s when you do stumble that you learn the most. I have found that most writing advice is really just another person’s pet peeves dressed up to look like law. IGNORE IT ALL AND WRITE!
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