Guest Post and Giveaway Secrets of the Moon by Kristy Centeno

Description:

Teenager Marjorie Emery eluded death. As she struggles to get her life back on track, she believes her efforts are paying off. Yet, when a black dressing, unfriendly, and incredibly handsome hottie walks into her classroom, she’s forced into a tailspin. Marjorie has no idea how much his presence is going to shatter what little tranquility she’s achieved.

Kyran Rousseau’s gloomy nature has a name, one that is potentially fatal under the right circumstances. His family harbors secrets and does everything to protect Kyran. While, he doesn’t want to ruin Marjorie’s normal life, love has a way of changing his plans.

Falling for Kyran is the least of Marjorie’s worries. With a faceless threat hunting her and a boyfriend who's as dangerous as he is good looking—how can Marjorie and Kyran keep all hell from breaking loose before it’s too late?

GUEST POST

The Werewolf - Myth and Fascination

(MB's Topic)

The werewolf has been a source of fascination for hundreds of years. The legend of a half-animal, half-human being is one of the longest myths I have come across. During the time I was writing Secrets of the Moon, I researched hundreds of websites and came to the staggering conclusion that the werewolf legend is far older than I originally thought. Though it became extremely popular during later years, the first reports date back to somewhere in 600 B.C.

By the 1500’s it became a source of sheer, unadulterated terror. Hundreds of people were executed because they were either presumed to be werewolves, were accused by others of being this mythological creature, or they confessed to have the ability to shift from human to wolf. The eyewitness account seemed to consist with recent disappearances from the area. This alone was enough to set the town (village) into a frenzied mode. And thus, the accused became suspects.

Although the werewolf legend had spread terror to those who believed in the myth, during more recent times the way this mythological creature is seen has changed drastically. The werewolf now has a very unique appeal, which draws the general public to the point of obsession. Not that I can blame anyone. I’m probably just as obsessed as any other avid reader, or movie lover.

I do have to say though, as much as I am fascinated by the werewolf and what it supposedly represents, I have no doubt in my mind that, although incredible and downright irresistible, it is nothing but a myth. However, it was on these basic historical facts that I based Secrets of the Moon. I began to ponder the ‘what if’s’. What if the werewolf existed? What if the myth was real? What if the legend were not just legends, but actual events that involved real werewolves? What kind of lives did they live when they were being hunted down by humans? How would they live in modern times? What if they hid among us? What would we do?

The more I read about the legend and how it affected people, I began to really contemplate writing my own werewolf saga, taking into consideration all these questions. I wanted to play a bit with the legend and twist it around to a dramatic point where readers would not be able to guess in what direction I wanted to take the story until they finished the actual book.

My longtime fascination with this myth is what ultimately led me to venture into the werewolf world. With Secrets of the Moon I hope to achieve a new version to this myth plus transform the legend in some way. Or at very least give it a brand new twist.

After all, if the interest for these creatures has only increased over the years, one can only imagine how much more captivating it can get in the future?

Kristy Centeno

EXCERPT:

TOUR SCHEDULE

Minutes later we arrived, and just in time for our eight a.m. classes. Claire, Tracy, and I dispersed to our respective classrooms upon entering the building, agreeing to meet later on for lunch. 

Usually, I’d sit in one of the chairs at the first row of tables, since I barely made it in time for class; but today the only available seats were at the back—where no one likes to sit because it’s too far away from the writing board. No one paid attention to me as I scooted by to the back of the classroom and grabbed one of the empty seats at the last row of tables. The seat to the left of me was empty and everyone else had chosen their seats, so I was a little relieved that I wouldn’t be sharing the table with anyone. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk, so sitting alone came as a bonus. 

When a few moments had gone by and no one else showed up, the teacher began his lecture for the day. With book, notebook, and pen in hand, I began to take notes of what the teacher was either saying or writing on the board, when the door opened and someone stepped inside. I was too busy going over what I wrote so I didn’t bother to look up to see who’d entered the classroom. I automatically assumed it was probably a student running late. However, the sound of loud gasps rushing through the otherwise silent room caused me to look up to see what the commotion was all about. 

That was the first time I saw him. My gaze automatically drifted toward the silver-colored orbs he had for eyes. Never in my life had I seen eyes like those. It wasn’t just the color of them that was strange and incredibly alluring but the way he looked around the room also, as if searching for prey. Where that thought came from I had no idea, but I did agree that the description match him to a T. 

The instructor spoke softly to him, but the boy only nodded several times, not even bothering to look at him. I thought that rude until I noticed he was too busy looking at…me. 

My cheeks started to burn as he kept staring at me with those dangerously sensual eyes. No one had ever observed me that way before and it made me slightly uneasy. His quiet stare made me feel hot and uncomfortable all at once. After a silent staring contest, I turned my eyes away from him and decided to stare at the notes in front of me instead. 

His eyes were intense, too much for me to handle without feeling as if I was going to be burned alive right on the spot. Good grief, no one ever had this mammoth effect on me before. 

He was so different from the young men from around here. His demeanor held a hint of arrogance, boldness, and indifference unlike anything I’d perceived. Sure, some guys tended to act that way, but he took it up a notch. I took note of his dress code too: all-black casual wear—black hoodie, black shirt, black pants, black boots. Even his backpack was black. I could have easily accused him of being some kind of rock and roll groupie or maybe even a Goth-loving fan, but he didn’t appear to fit into either category. 

However, the dark clothing only made his look more mysterious and it definitely brought out the color of his eyes even more. He was tall, too, very tall. If I had to guess what his height was, I would say six-foot-one or something close to that. His chestnut-colored hair was long, down to his shoulders, and he wore it lose. Something about him clearly screamed bad boy.

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About the author

As a child, I used to lose myself in an imaginary world by the means of a good book. Now that I’m all grown up, I get to create my own fictional realms and make them come to life in ways that most readers might not expect.
 
I’ve always had a passion for writing but never had the opportunity do so until now. After trying out numerous options I realized that writing was what I loved the most so when I found myself with some free time on my hands, I decided to give it a shot. As it turned out, my very active imagination helped me achieve my goals of creating believable plots with some ordinary, and some not so ordinary characters that helped the stories move along in one way or another.
 
As I keep moving along in achieving my dreams of becoming a published author, I divide my time in between  my four children and my very understanding husband.​

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