Dec 19, 2013

Release Day: Burned by Liz Long

Hi guys! First off, a huge thanks to Veronica for hosting me today!! She was gracious enough to read my first book, Gifted, A Donovan Circus Novel, and I am so excited to release the second book in the series this week. The next adventure is called Burned. Below you'll find the synopsis as well as a very special excerpt to celebrate the release :) 
Haven't read the first book in the series yet? Gifted is currently on sale for only 99 cents! Get it quick because it'll be full price again after the holidays. You can download your copy here to get started and learn more about this supernatural circus and all its colorful characters.
Thanks for joining me. I'm so excited! I really hope you'll take a chance and run away to the circus with me :) Keep reading and get a taste of what's in store for the Donovan gang!
Synopsis:
“Tell Sheffield that Medved is hunting him…the Bear is coming.”
Nearly a month after Lucy Sullivan saved the Donovan Circus from certain death, she discovers that Dr. Felix Hardy wasn’t the only bad guy around. When Lucy is attacked on home ground, Sheffield Donovan reveals that there are bigger foes in their world, gifted that use their powers to kill others – including her own family, as she learns from her ringmaster mentor. Medved, a Russian thug and powerful Shapeshifter, is intent on outing the gifted world and will stop at nothing to succeed.
In order to survive, Lucy and her friends must travel to another show, the Grayson Circus, for help. The uneasy alliance with owner Albert Grayson comes with potential new friends and dark secrets about their competition, including a troublemaker named Mel and an old flame of Lucy’s father. Lucy must also contend with her feelings about Keegan and Gabriel, as well as learn how to contain her rampant emotions or risk setting the entire place ablaze.
Will Lucy be able to save the Donovan Circus again? Or will Medved and his men slaughter everyone in their path on the way to gifted domination?
Special Excerpt:
I gave Sheffield an incredulous look. “What the f-”
He cut me off. “Tell me.”
I recapped the attack, right down to the part about Sheffield’s head being stuffed like a deer and put on a wall. My stomach flipped at the memory of the attacker’s hiss in my ear. Sheffield’s tight-lipped expression gave away nothing. When I finished, he lit a cigarette, his elbows on the table as he looked over at me.
“And you’re sure he said Medved?”
I looked down at my bloody hands. “Trust me, that’s not something I’d forget. It’s pretty much burned in my brain forever. What kind of bad guy is he?”
His lips twisted under the mustache into a rueful smile. “He’s not my favorite.”
“But what does this Medved guy want?” I asked. He shook his head at me.
“Medved,” he corrected me, putting emphasis on the second syllable. “His name means “bear” and he’s the most vicious man I’ve ever come across. He’s a Shapeshifter. He can shift into any large, dangerous creature, though he prefers a bear nine times out of ten.”
His eyes longingly on his not-so-secret whiskey drawer, he missed my one eyebrow raised in question. He didn’t meet my eyes as he continued talking.
“Medved is a killer, plain and simple. My information on him is sparse. He’s been in and out of Russian prisons most of his life and craves violence. Like Felix, he thinks humans should know about us. But he believes gifted are better than humans. I know he and Felix discussed a few common problems.”
“So big picture, he wants exposure and superiority to humans. Obviously we disagree on both of those requests, but why would he attack us?” I asked.
“We are his enemy. I am his enemy,” Sheffield said simply, holding his hands up as though it were obvious. “We are a large gifted clan that opposes his ways. And now we are led by one of the most powerful gifted beings in history - that’d be you - so he’ll want to crush the competition.”
I cringed. “I’d rather not spread that rumor around.”
“Too late for that, kid. I imagine word is spreading about how you took out Felix. For Medved, it’s about proving that no one is more powerful than him.”
My voice went up an octave. “I mean, I could get him with a fireball, but if he’s too close, he’ll probably claw me to death.”
“Even with fire, he is a warrior. He will do his best to break through it,” he said.
“He could survive a fireball?” I asked incredulously.
“I know for a fact that he can take the hit in animal form. Maybe not your particular brand of flame,” Sheffield said, waving a hand at me, “but he’s learned to handle pain and strengthen himself against gifts. I suspect he also allowed Felix to experiment on him with different gifts.”
Oh, great. I sat there quiet for a moment, mulling over the information. When I looked up, Sheffield eyed me hard from behind his desk.
“Sheffield, why the pomp and circumstance?”
His mustache moved as he frowned. “What do you mean?”
I shrugged. “Medved had to have been the attacker tonight, right? Why didn’t he just kill me right then and there?”
He harrumphed. “He is a predator that enjoys the fear in his prey. He likes to scare his enemies before he attacks.”
“Can’t say it didn’t work.” The memory of the cold blade against my skin made me shiver. I could almost feel Medved’s hiss in my ears.
About Liz Long:
Liz Long is a ridiculously proud graduate of Longwood University with a BA in English. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her fabulous day job as a social media editor includes writing for a publishing company in Roanoke, VA.
Her first book, Gifted, is the first book in the Donovan Circus series. Her second book Witch Hearts, a story about a serial killer hunting witches for their powers, is available at Amazon on Kindle and paperback.
To learn more about Liz, visit her website: http://lizclong.com.

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