I’m furiously editing to complete my short story Faith of the Fallen, which features one of my characters, the werewolf Brandon, from the Necromancer Series. One of the reasons I’m so excited is because Kim Killion designed such an amazing cover. Here it is!!!

This story was one of those moments where the words wrote themselves. I loved Brandon’s character and wondered, well, how did he become a werewolf. I mean, he’s a priest for crying out loud. And then it came to me in 3,000 or so words. Part of the inspiration for his story was the setting, and I asked Kim, in designing the cover, if she could find a background that represented the Northeast of Brazil, also called the sertao. A very dry, semi-arid region. My parents were born in Sao Paulo, (I’ve probably watched every World Cup soccer tournament since like the crib) and I lived and worked in both Recife and Salvador, Brazil, Northeastern coastal cities, and my work took me to the sertao quite often. Brazil is very culturally diverse, and it’s regions can differ quite a bit in topography. So while you had places like the sertao:

I’m pictured above with some Brazilian work colleagues in a typical village in the Northeastern countryside, and below are some wonderful kiddos in one of the communities.

You also had pristine beach areas like this:

Why am I living in the desert? Sigh.

Anyway, back to Faith of the Fallen. In the story, I feature the Sao Joao festival, which occurs every year in the countryside, and is a wonderful celebration of Northeastern country culture with lots of food and drink, but that’s typical of any Brazilian celebration 🙂

One of the most amazing things I experienced while working in the Northeast, was that even in the more disadvantaged parts of the country, like the sertao, people always share what little food they have on hand. I worked on projects to help increase access to potable water in the farming communities pictured above, and when we visited the projects, people brought out more food for us then they wold probably eat in a week. Always a very humbling experience.

So with that background, I bring you Brandon’s short story. I’m only going to offer Faith of the Fallen, beginning in October, as a print giveaway during blog tours and as part of a Halloween/October giveaway, and periodically thereafter. I’ll announce the opportunities here and on the Facebook page for the Necromancer Series as they come up.

So, as they would say in Brazil, abraco (hugs) and boa sorte (good luck).

Back cover copy for Faith of the Fallen:

I wheeled around. I hadn’t noticed anyone behind me.

Brandon’s quirked eyebrow reached the bangs of his wavy brown hair. His thin frame, straddling a wood cathedral chair, belied the power visible underneath his worn jeans and . . . surprise fluttered through me at the sight of his priest habit. A werewolf priest?

He stood and walked over, taking my hand in a firm shake. He smiled. “I’m used to that look.”

I’m not even going to try to understand how a wolf can reside within a priest. As if reading my thoughts, he said, “Even the beasts need to confess.”

-Excerpt from The Necromancer’s Seduction

Before the werewolf priest, Brandon Ross, ever met the necromancer, Ruby Montagne, he’d adopted a quiet life in the Northeastern Brazilian countryside. There he dedicated himself to the parish and immersion in the local culture, even if it brought temptation in the beautiful town doctor, Solange Neves.

Now discover the story of how Brandon became a werewolf and the troubled past he seeks to escape. As he struggles to make sense of the new, darker power that has taken control of him—of the monster he has become—will Solange be his salvation or his ruin?