A Very Paranormal Holidays #Giveaway: Why Being an Empath Sucks

 

paranormal holidays

Don’t miss the TWO giveaways at the end of this post – one for a copy of Empath (including an autographed paperback copy), and one for a Kindle Fire!

Thanks to authors Kallysten and Tricia Schneider for organizing this Very Paranormal Holidays Blog Hop to share their love for paranormal romance, help you discover new authors, win books, prizes… and maybe a brand new Kindle Fire!

A Different Breed of Empath

Empath eBook cover SM

When you hear the term empath, what comes to mind? Supernatural powers, or maybe the ability to control minds? The term has many variations, and when I set out to write my own book about an empath, I wanted to step outside of the mold, to take the unexpected route.

In creating characters with cool, super-human flaws, the first glint of inspiration came from Stephenie Meyer’s stories. Her character Jasper Hale had an intriguing power: the ability to control all the emotions in the room simultaneously. I latched onto that idea, but morphed it for my own purpose.

Taking the opposite route of Meyer, I used supernatural empathy as a character flaw instead of a superpower. That led to the creation of Jade Edwards, a young woman who is inhabited and controlled by the emotions of the people around her. Not only is she powerless to influence them, she can’t even experience her own feelings when around others.

With Jade formed in my mind, I explored the idea of what she might encounter upon entering the “real world” for the first time. There were so many varieties of bad that could happen to someone with such a flaw. What if she was around someone who was suicidal? What would happen in crowds of people where the emotions were conflicting? What if someone fell in love with herwould she be forced to reciprocate those emotions, even if they weren’t her own? What if a psychopathic killer captured her and she had to internalize his feelings? Those questions led as I plunged into the life of an empath and wrote Jade’s story.

Jade was sheltered from stray emotions by her parents since she was a young child. Here’s a little peek inside Jade’s head as, now entering society, she wrestles with her first day of college.

Empath (Flawed #1) Excerpt

When she heard the teacher enter and begin talking, Jade’s eyes flicked back open. She sat up and gripped her pen with a shaking hand.

A wave of irritation hit her like a slap in the face, jerking her away from the professor’s words. Her shoulders hunched and she dug her toes into the floor as she fought the compulsion to kick someone. The pen in her tightly clenched fist gouged into the table’s surface. She dropped it and clamped her hands together in her lap, scanning the classroom. Where was the source of this anger pounding through her skull and flooding her veins? There—a guy on the end of the third row scowled, shaking his head at the professor.

Without warning, excitement replaced the agitation. Jade straightened in her chair and fought the urge to bounce in her seat, though she couldn’t keep the dumb smile off her face. Farther down her row, one girl whispered something about a vacation to the Bahamas and another girl nodded enthusiastically.

She was gulping quick and irregular breaths, telling herself to regain control, when a surge of intense attraction hit her, knocking the wind from her lungs. Her heart beat faster and a hot blush crept over her face. She was acutely aware of every male in the room. Forcing herself to stop ogling the guy in front of her with the armpit stains, she distracted herself by searching for the culprit. Her gaze froze on a girl who was gazing at a guy two rows up. Oblivious, he seemed to be one of the few faithfully taking notes on the current topic: modern rationalism and the theories of Descartes.

Jade dropped her head into her hands and pressed on her temples, wishing for the hundredth time that she could turn off her empathic sense. She squeezed her eyes shut again and tried to focus on only her breathing. She had to escape.

Giveaways Galore!


Enter below for a chance to win one of three eBooks of Empath (format of choice) OR an autographed paperback (paperback prize is only available to those with a valid US address).

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Enter below for a chance to win a Kindle Fire HD, 7″, wi-fi, 16GB (no ‘special offers’ aka ads). Giveaway is open internationally, with the only limitation that Amazon must sell/deliver Kindles to the participants’ countries. See Main Hop Page for more information. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure you stop by the other blogs participating in the hop for a chance to win other great paranormal prizes!

Kallysten
Tricia Schneider
Angela Yseult
Ash Krafton
Calinda B
Holly Hood
Clarissa Johal
Alexandra Anthony
Jami Gray
Leigh Ellwood
Karen Michelle Nutt
Ashen White
Zoe Forward
Judith Anne Barton
Mackenzie Crowne
Katlyn Duncan
Michelle Scott
Donna Augustine
Marsha A. Moore
Draven St. James
Killion Slade
C A Nicks
Caris Roane
Beth Caudill
Nancy Lee Badger
Beverly Ovalle

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