This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jennifer will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Some Family Trees Should Be Burned. . .
Greer Girls are special. Greer Girls are rare. Greer Girls are central to the secret Order of Belial.
Sophie Greer knows none of this. All she knows is that her now ex-boyfriend cheated on her, she’s alone working in Paris, and her mysterious billionaire boss, Edward Hughes, is way too interested in her life.
But when Sophie is kidnapped in Moscow while on a business trip, she’s plunged into the dark underbelly of the global elite and a sinister secret society with deep ties to her family; ties that lead to revelations darker than anything Sophie could have imagined.
Betrayed by the man who raised her, and targeted by the illustrious Hughes family, only one thing is certain—family history can be deadly. If Sophie is to survive, she must decide who to trust and what to believe, or risk being crushed beneath the weight of the all-powerful secret Order of Belial.
Read an Excerpt
The front door slams behind me with a clamorous thud. I jump, frightened. Marcella Belleville’s ominous laughter sails through the air while the cloaked beings descend the steps to encircle me. Turning to and fro, I try to slip through an opening in their ranks, but they close in so that not even a hairpin could find a fissure for escape. A low chanting starts up, like a rumble from some vile private inferno.
Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.
The primal beating of the drums grows louder, drowning out Marcella’s maniacal laughter. Blood rushes to my face. I hear a whirring in my ears.
Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.
All I see is darkness. My heartbeat keeps time with the pulsing of the drums.
Suddenly I feel another presence. Ephemeral. Sinister. It also laughs. Its guttural wails blend with Marcella’s tinny falsetto as it, too, encircles and envelops me. No one is touching me. I know that. And yet…
It feels like hundreds of hands are caressing my body. Sliding up and down the sides of my torso. Untucking my shirt. Unfastening my trousers. Cupping my breasts. Pulling my hair. Wrapping icy, tentacled fingers around my throat…
It feels awful—delectable—disgusting—delicious, all at once. I hate it. The chanting grows louder.
Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.
Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.
“Stop!” I cry out, finding my voice at last. “Please. Stop!”
But it’s too late. Wispy black smoke fills my nostrils. My mouth freezes into a silent scream as the smoke fills every orifice in my head—eyes, nose, ears, mouth. The sound of babies crying mixed with horrific images of children laughing and playing in blood assault my senses. I know it can’t be real, must be a trick of some sort, an illusion, but I’m powerless to stop it.
About the AuthorJENNIFER JUVENELLE is a Native American/French author born in Hollywood, raised in Detroit, and fashioned in France. Formerly an actress and model, Jennifer now splits her time between crafting psychological thrillers and the magic of motherhood. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Jennifer made healing from trauma a priority when her life became untenable. Daughter of Belial is the unexpected product of her journey from trauma to triumph. An eager explorer, she currently lives in a remote Mexican seaside-jungle village with her debonair Aussie author husband and their young son.
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting me and my new book!
ReplyDeleteThe cover art is awesome and the synopsis and excerpt have intrigued me, Daughter of Belial sounds like a thrilling read. Were there any aspects of you story that required a lot of research?
ReplyDeleteThanks Bea, I'm so glad you're intrigued and thanks for the awesome question!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, in some ways I feel like I did a lot of research through my own personal interest in the occult and metaphysics without knowing that some of the information would end up in a book. But in general, my writing style is intuitive and that's how I wrote Daughter of Belial. The central theme of the story (from victimhood to empowerment) was also inspired by events in my own life.
The writing process was challenging at times because I didn't always know where the story was taking me. I didn't know what would happen in the final scene until I wrote it and once I did, I was blown away. I had lots of moments like that throughout.
I did have to research some more finer details though, like certain locations. But for the most part, I would write intuitively and then if I was unsure about something, research what I'd written. In most cases, I found that the intuitive hit was correct! For eg, in the excerpt with Dante Pierce, Sophie Greer is in underground tunnels in L.A. I discovered after I wrote that scene that there is actually a whole secret network of underground tunnels beneath Los Angeles! I was then able to take that information and incorporate it into the story in a more meaningful way.
I also wanted to let everyone know that the ebook is now on sale in Amazon for only $0.99 cents! The deal will be going on for the next 6 days then back up to the regular price of $9.99!
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