“Handbook for Mortals will soon become the new paranormal craze. I found myself more emotionally involved in the story than even Twilight. A riveting, original storyline, relatable characters, a love triangle of sorts, and just enough magick to ensnare you." - Skye, Goodreads
Published: August 15th, 2017
Zade Holder has always been a free-spirited young woman, from a long dynasty of tarot-card readers, fortunetellers, and practitioners of magick. Growing up in a small town and never quite fitting in, Zade is determined to forge her own path. She leaves her home in Tennessee to break free from her overprotective mother Dela, the local resident spellcaster and fortuneteller.
Zade travels to Las Vegas and uses supernatural powers to become part of a premiere magic show led by the infamous magician Charles Spellman. Zade fits right in with his troupe of artists and misfits. After all, when everyone is slightly eccentric, appearing ”normal” is much less important.
Behind the scenes of this multimillion-dollar production, Zade finds herself caught in a love triangle with Mac, the show’s good-looking but rough-around-the-edges technical director and Jackson, the tall, dark, handsome and charming bandleader.
Zade’s secrets and the struggle to choose between Mac or Jackson creates reckless tension during the grand finale of the show. Using Chaos magick, which is known for being unpredictable, she tests her abilities as a spellcaster farther than she’s ever tried and finds herself at death’s door. Her fate is left in the hands of a mortal who does not believe in a world of real magick, a fortuneteller who knew one day Zade would put herself in danger and a dagger with mystical powers…
Handbook for Mortals is the first book in the series of this urban fantasy, paranormal romance series by author Lani Sarem.
Following Zade through the trials–and romance–of finding her own place in the world, readers will identify with their own struggles to fit in, reflected in the fantastic, yet mundane world of Zade’s life.
Handbook for Mortals is in development as a motion picture set to debut in 2018.
EXCERPT
“Hopefully
I wasn’t interrupting something important,” Mac said, with no attempt at
feigning actual sincerity. I could tell he didn’t care that he had interrupted,
or that he had been rude.
“Just
kindness.” I responded. I don’t think he expected my answer to be truthful, and
he looked taken aback. He had probably expected me to say “Oh, no
worries! Nothing important.” He made no comment, but backed off a
little. When he continued talking, he had a bit less snap in his voice.
“I’d
like to schedule a crew call for you once your contract has been signed. You,
me, and all of our techs, so we can go over your trick and map out how it will
be safely implemented into the show.” He knew that calling what I had done a
“trick” instead of an illusion I would take as a slight. It’s sort of like
telling someone who had just won an Olympic gold medal and was proudly wearing
it around their neck, that their necklace was cute. Mac kept
incessantly tapping his Sharpie on the side of his clipboard and shifting his
weight between his feet.
I
stood up slowly and calculated, looking him square in the eye, which probably
surprised him a bit, since he was at least six feet tall. I’ve always enjoyed
the luxury of being a tall girl. I’m five foot nine inches and so while I don’t
usually tower above any guys I know, I can definitely look them directly in the
eye. Most girls who at five feet five inches (which, I believe, is an average
height for a woman) have to look up. My height was an advantage that I never
took for granted and here, again, I was happy that I didn’t have to look up to
him—figuratively or literally. In heels I could even be as tall or taller than
him and I’ve always loved that part about being the height I am. I half smiled
and slowly spoke, “Maybe you misunderstood. I don’t show anyone how it’s done.
That wasn’t just for the audition. I handle this illusion on my own.”
Mac
held still for a moment, and then glanced up from his clipboard, looking
irritated. He pursed his lips and flared his nostrils. The tapping stopped. He
dropped the
clipboard from his stomach and held it in his hand while pointing his finger
directly in my face. “Listen, lady, I don’t know who else you worked for, but
we don’t do that Lone Ranger stuff around here. I’m the technical director and
in charge of everyone’s safety, no matter how stupid you want to be. You do
what I say, and I keep your pretty self from getting hurt. Got it?” I’m fairly
certain he growled at me as he spoke.
Myriad
thoughts ran through my head and I’m pretty sure several seconds passed in
silence as we stared each other down. I could feel my hands tightening into
fists. I really did want to punch him. I could see it happening. I’m not strong
by any means but I’m also not a wimp. I wouldn’t have broken anything, but he
would have been bruised and sore. I quickly ran through the possible outcomes
of punching the technical director on my first day of work. It didn’t really
seem to be the best idea.
I
leaned into him so closely that it might have looked like to an outsider that I
was about to kiss him. I huffed a little and my words were slow and deliberate.
“I understand this is your job and all, but I don’t think you’re listening to
me,” I hissed. I tapped his chest with my finger and he jolted a bit at my
touch. He looked at me like I was speaking some kind of foreign language.
“I’m not
listening? Lady, you need your ears cleaned,” he snarled back. He turned around
to walk away, as if that was the end of our conversation. If he was trying to
piss me off more, it was working.
I
grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks and swinging him around
to face me. My face had flushed and I’d raised my voice to a full yell. “And
you need to get some manners. I’m not showing you how it’s done, okay? If we
have a problem I can go to another show where the technical director doesn’t
have a God complex. I’m not a girl who needs a knight in shining armor.” I was
practically snarling at him.
Mac
gritted his teeth and looked like he might hit me, but I knew that wasn’t
really an option for him. Guys like him didn’t hit women, no matter how mad we
made them. He laughed loudly. “Ha! Good luck finding a Technical Director who
will treat you like the princess you clearly think you are. If I found you
locked in a tower, I promise I’d leave you there.” Mac whipped around again and
this time saw Riley, who had been standing just a few feet away from us the
whole time. Riley was pretending not to be paying too much attention, but you
could tell that was all he had been doing. I couldn’t blame him. Mac glowered
at Riley and barked, “Where’s C.S.? Riley, go find Charles. Now!”
“On
the move,” Riley replied with a nervous, almost panicked look on his face as he
ran off to the side and disappeared.
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About the author:
Lani Sarem basically grew up in the entertainment industry. She began acting at age three and continued to act and perform through her early years. Lani began writing scripts when she was eleven. Over the years she has become a jack-of-all-trades in the entertainment business. She became a rock n’ rolly gypsy at fifteen and started touring with bands and working on festivals. She’s toured with everyone from Ryan Adams to Gnarls Barkley. She also became one of the youngest female managers in the business and managed bands like the Plain White T's, 100 Monkeys and Blues Traveler. Lani has appeared in films like Mall Cop 2, Jason Bourne, and Trailer Park Shark. Handbook for Mortals is a debut novel of a series of books, which are also being made into feature films. You can follow Lani on her social networks to keep up with her many adventures and look out for her at a Wizard World Comic Con near you.
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1 comment:
Sounds Incredible!
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