Friday, October 19, 2012

Astraphobia (Or Stay Calm and Let the Lightning Strike!)


By Taryn Kincaid
Are you afraid of thunder and lightning?

Do you shiver and shake, cowering with the cats and dogs under the bed? Or do you dance with abandon in the rain, turning your face to the heavens, blinded by the sheer romance of the light?

Remember when Michael Corleone first sets eyes on Appolonia, the great love of his life, in Sicily? She’s a raven-haired vision and he’s struck dumb by love at first sight. In Italy when it happens that way (at least according to Godfather lore), they say “รจ stato un colpo di fumine” it has been a stroke of lightning.  (Apparently that is the more elegant kissing cousin to “when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore.)

In Lightning, my debut 1Night Stand story, my heroine, Lily Night, has good reason to be afraid. So does the hero, Campbell Jones. She’s a succubus and when her electrolyte balance goes haywire, lightning strikes during sex, zipping across the night sky, and occasionally putting her partners out of commission. Along with wiping cell phone service in spooky Sleepy Hollow. Maybe the Eastern seaboard.

Since their fateful prom night, when Lily accidentally landed Campbell in a coma after a night of hot, unbridled passion, she’s been wary of sex with mortals. And a sex-shy succubus is not a good thing. As for Campbell, he’s been thinking about the girl who dumped him at the emergency room and raced out of his life. And wondering about those strange supernatural powers he’s had ever since.

So, yeah. You might say they have reason to be afraid. To be very afraid. Bwahahahahahah!

The awesome Valerie Mann, one of the instigators of the 1Night Stand series, was my editor for both Lightning, and Thunder, which is coming soon—check out the neat trailer for Thunder (created by fabulous Decadent author JoAnne Kenrick) at the top of this page. 

Valerie took this picture at an amusement park haunted house:
 (I sure hope she isn’t trying to tell me something!)
                              
  Cracked me the hell up, though.                             

So where do you stand when things go crack and bump in the night? Scaredy cat or fearless?
Let me know and I’ll pick a random commenter to get a copy of Lightning. (And some other Lightning and Thunder swag!)

Here’s an excerpt:

“A little higher and more to the left.”
Lily Night narrowed her eyes as the building maintenance man shifted her framed diploma on the freshly-painted wall opposite her desk. She tried not to ogle the firm ass encased in a pair of tight jeans or the way the man’s shoulder muscles rippled beneath his T-shirt.

Maybe if I pop an Altoid, I’ll have an excuse to wipe away the drool.

She refrained from jumping the handsome worker dude’s bones. The last time she’d dallied with a human, the encounter had not gone well. Vivid images of that long ago prom night bombarded her. Campbell Jones had been a young, strapping, hunk-and-a-half football player and they’d started their date full of hope and expectation and lust. When he’d adjusted the fragrant gardenia corsage on her wrist, she’d inhaled his crisp, citrus scent and thought she might swoon at the sight of him in his tux. The black material stretched across broad shoulders that mirrored the promise of the bruising man he’d be in his prime. But she’d all but sucked him dry as flashes of lightning crackled over their heads. By the time dawn painted the sky, she’d turned him into a mere shadow of his former self. Literally.

And briefly knocked out cell phone service in the lower Hudson Valley, as well.

She’d sworn off humans ever since. Instead, she pulled all-nighter after all-nighter to evade the dreams in which men called to her—and to avoid the university dating scene that inevitably led to frequent and addicting sex.

Mortals. Bleh.

TARYN KINCAID is a multi-published author of sensual romance. Visit her at:

25 comments:

  1. Congrats on your new release, Taryn! I loved Lightning, and can't wait for the release Thunder! :)

    As for me, thunderstorms keep me awake and alert. In the middle of the night, I literally count the seconds between a lightning strike and the thunder, and won't relax until the time is at least 10 seconds. I also watch the skies, as I've lived to experience many tornadoes. I wouldn't say I fear it, I just respect it's power. :)

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  2. So thrilled you loved LIGHTNING, Jessica! THUNDER's coming soon. You know, I was thinking about the Lightning-Seconds-Thunder rule but left it out! Maybe for another blog post!

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  3. Congrats on the release, again, Taryn!! WOOT Hey, LOVED Lightning!! LOVED IT! I'll be sure to post up my reviews around the usual places when I get a second.
    As for your question -- I used to be scared of thunder and lightning when I lived in the UK. I don't know why, because it's not likely to turn into a tornado or anything near as damaging or life threatening. But when I moved to the States, I sure learned what real fear of thunder and lightning felt like. A few years in MN and sitting for hours, sometimes all night, in the basement due to tornado sirens and thousands of lightning strikes in the area. EEP! Yeah. It's not so much a fear of the lightning and thunder, but what usually follows such weather conditions.

    I remember when we used to live in Australia, walking the children home. Weather was fine. And just two minutes walk from home, lightning struck down the street. I grabbed the kids hands and ran as fast as i could get them to go. it wasn't until i got safely inside that I actually cried. Yeah. I'm a baby! LOL Kids were fine. They were laughing at me! hehe

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  4. Thanksm JoAnne! And thanks for all you've done, especially the great videos for both THUNDER (which can be seen at the top of this page) and for LIGHTNING, which is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2gz0LqF-fs&feature=youtu.be

    I'm in NY, so we don't normally get tornadoes and such, but we can get pretty violent Lightning and Thunder storms, particularly in the summer (although it seems, lately, that we get them now, too.) We do get n'oreasters, though. Oh, yeah. And blizzards. If I'm at my desk in my office, deep in thought, and there's a big thunderboomer outside my enormous window, I've been known to jump out of my seat!

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  5. I'm a total scaredy cat when it comes to paranormal stuff that gives me the heebie jeebies - evil stuff, that is. Friendly ghosts are fine, but throw in something menacing and I'll squeal like the girl I am. I'm no Long Island Medium, but I feel things a lot and get warning messages for loved ones (that I share when I'm pretty sure they won't think I'm cuckoo). But anything that's from the dark side totally freaks me out.

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  6. I'm not big on horror myself, but I do love my supes, shifters, sexy paranormal creatures, otherwordly hunks!

    But when a raven (okay, giant crow the size of a pit bull) smacked into my window I almost lost it. For realz.

    (Pretty sure you don't want a copy of the book, right?) LOL!

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  7. I'm not a big fan of thunder and lightning. I seem to be okay if I'm inside, where I love to watch the storms, but if I'm driving somewhere, I become a basket case.
    Congrats on the new release. Lightning sounds fantastic.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

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    1. I know, they're prettier when you're inside, right!?Thanks, Joanne!

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  8. I love thunder and lightning! Its the high winds that get me. That fierce howl that shakes the whole house. The creaking and moaning, the trees swaying and branches scrapping against windows. Brrr.

    Congrats on your new release and the one coming up!

    ~Karyn ;)

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    1. Have to admit, I love looking at the lightning, but the thunderboomers can get to me sometimes. I'm in an apartment so the wind doesn't bother me that much. Except last fall when Irene blew by and knocked over a tree which smashed into the windows of a few neighbors below me, along with their patios and patio fences! Splinters and shards! (Hey, that sounds like a book title, right?)

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  9. Congrats and greetings! I adore thunder and lightning. I can sit watching a storm for ages. My favourite is forked lightning, although a full on sky flash is pretty good too. I'm looking forward to reading this one, and have fingers and toes crossed! Best wishes.

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    1. Ah, a woman after my own heart! We have some forked lightning for you on the cover of the book!

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  10. I love thunder and lightning. I once stood for an hour and watched an electrical storm and it was one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen!

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    1. You might like LIGHTNING then! Lots of sexy electrical storm activity!

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  11. My hubby and me sit on the porch during the warm months and watch the lightning storms that roll over these hilltops. It's the horrible gusts of wind that bother me.

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    1. That's so romantic! (Lily & Campbell make their own storms!)

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  12. I love the storms associated with thunder and lightning because I can cosy up at home.

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    1. Yes! With cocoa (or something stronger!) and a delicious book!

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  13. Congratulations Taryn! The books sounds exciting, I LOVED the Thunder trailer, excellent work by JoAnne! You've got me hooked on these two books <3

    As far as thunder and lightning storms? I live for them. It's tough to get my kids to feel at ease, so I just tell them God is moving furniture, or the angels are bowling, or their personal favorite, the clouds keep bumping into each other and arguing about it, lol
    I find storms sensual and exciting.

    I hope these make best seller for you!
    Hugs
    Kali

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    1. Oh, I just love what you tell your kids, Kali. Did you know something similar is part of old Sleepy Hollow / Hudson Valley lore? In the story of Rip Van Winkle, Rip was lured into the Catskill mountains by old men playing 9 pins and learns they were the ghosts of the Henry Hudson's crew! I used something similar in my paranormal, Sleepy Hollow Dreams -- demons bowling and partying lure the hero away from his farm! Both Lightning and Thunder are also set in Sleepy Hollow! Great place to visit this time of year!

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  14. I swear I could not see the words 'comment' last night. As to lightening killing people through the phone, it has happened, so those who died advise against talking on the phone when it's lightening. I suspect even in their afterlife they have Astraphobia

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  15. Well, "comment" is pretty small. (At least it is to me. But the eyes are not what they once were. Although they are doing much better for distance. Also, allergies are making them tear and burn. Maybe why I have so much trouble with Captcha!)
    So glad you gave it another try, Liza! Don't blame you for not talking on the phone. You never know. LOL!

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  16. And the winner of a copy of LIGHTNING is...Lady Raven. Let us know your email address for the book. I will need your snail mail address for the LIGHTNING and THUNDER swag!

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