Phantom, Dark Musicals Trilogy Book #1
and Demon-Dark Musicals Trilogy Book #2
by Laura
DeLuca
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB: Demon,
Book Two
When
Justyn and Rebecca set off for the New York School of Performing Arts, they
think their dreams are about to come true. To their dismay, they aren’t in high
school anymore, and the competition is steep. Rebecca must compete against
accomplished singers for a role in the production of Demon Barber, including a
stunning Gothic diva with her sights set on Justyn
It
doesn't help that things keep disappearing from their apartment or that
Rebecca's father refuses to accept that Justyn is an essential part of her
life. Yet, all this seems minimal in comparison to the serial rapist
terrorizing the campus.
Consumed
by fear and obsessed with revenge, Rebecca and Justyn start living the story of
Sweeney Todd—both on and off the stage.
Blurb: Phantom, Dark
Musicals Book #1:
The
“Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting.
She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her
obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual
production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle
and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their
calling card.
Rebecca
lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she
is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays
the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than
realistic in the role of the tortured artist.
Almost
immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the
stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom
style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and phone
calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life the
twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero and
the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s
running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when
the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally be
revealed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One: Demon
Rebecca
unwound the silver ribbon. When she lifted the lid, she found two matching
pendants, each laced to a long hemp chain. They were shaped sort of like
seashells, with an endless spiral pattern that looped out from the center as
the chambers grew larger. They were dark brown in color with a few hints of tan
along the edges. The stones had been polished and smoothed on both sides, but
when she lifted them, she could see that the two pieces fit together perfectly.
She swore the halves fought to snap together, like magnets in her hand. There
was an energy pulsing and vibrating within the stones that even a novice witch
like Rebecca could feel.
“They’re
beautiful,” Rebecca whispered as she ran her hand along the intricate grooves.
“It’s an
ammonite.” Justyn lifted one of the pendants, brushed her hair to the side, and
hooked the clasp around her neck. His breath tickled her skin as his hands
moved with graceful dexterity, giving her goose bumps despite the humid August
night. “They’re actually fossils that are millions of years old, named after
Ammon, an ancient Egyptian deity. When they’re divided in half, they’re perfect
mirrors of one another. Some cultures believe that if the two halves are given
to lovers, it will bind them together forever. When made into necklaces,
they’re often called soul mate pendants.”
“Wo-wow,”
Rebecca stuttered. As usual, the sentiment behind Justyn’s gift was even more
beautiful than the gift itself. It left her a little flustered. “That’s amazing.
How do you know all this stuff?”
“You don’t
spend eighteen years living with Darlene without learning a thing or two.”
Rebecca
laughed. Justyn’s mother Darlene was definitely something special. EMT, exotic
belly dancer, and Wiccan High Priestess were only a few of the titles she
claimed. Rebecca knew she was a fountain of earth-based knowledge after years
of studying the Craft. As Darlene’s new apprentice, Rebecca greedily dipped
into that knowledge herself as often as possible.
“It’s
beautiful,” Rebecca repeated, too overcome with emotion to think of anything
more eloquent to say. “You certainly know how to make things interesting.”
“Like I told
you on our first date, I try not to be boring.” He winked at her. “So … are you
going to put mine on for me?”
“Oh yeah …
sorry.”
Rebecca
giggled as she lifted the hemp chain. She wasn’t nearly as graceful as Justyn.
She almost dropped the necklace in the sand three times before she managed to
get the clasp locked. When she finally had it secured, he placed his hand over
her heart, where the ammonite lay. He did the same with her hands, lifting them
to his chest. His dark eyes had lost all glimmer of humor. He met her gaze with
a stare filled with genuine emotion. Beneath her fingers, she could feel the
gentle, steady rhythm of his heart beating in perfect tune with her own.
“Our love
will span both space and time. In this life and the next, you shall be mine.
All eternity I will be by your side. For a love so strong cannot be denied.
Spirit and flesh merged into one. So mote it be, for all days to come.”
When he was
done with the recitation, he kissed her. Not just a gentle brush, but a deep,
passionate embrace that left her throat tight and her heart pounding with a
familiar yearning.
“I’ve never
heard that poem before,” she said once she’d caught her breath. “Who are you
quoting?”
Even in the
moonlight, she could see him blush. “I guess I was quoting myself. It was
really more of an incantation than a poem though. These necklaces are meant to
be a symbol of our love, and it seemed a little spell work could only add to
the power of the stones. There is power in words, Becca. Just like there is
power in nature.”
“You mean,
you wrote that?”
He nodded,
but his eyes twinkled, and the playfulness was back in his voice. “Well,
actually, I just made it up as I went along.”
“Wow. Actor,
singer, and now an improv poet slash chant writer. Is there anything you can’t
do, Lord Justyn?”
He smiled and
tilted her chin so he could look into her eyes. “I can’t stop loving you.”
.
The orchestra tuned for its virtuoso, and Justyn stood
ready. But no one else was ready for the magical performance he began. Beside
her, Carmen was rambling on about something mundane. Rebecca elbowed her to
silence so she could listen to the perfectly thrilling tenor. As she listened
to the song unfold, the world around her started to slip away. Gone was the
high school auditorium. Gone were the rowdy teenagers. The Gothic stranger on
the stage had become the embodiment of Erik, and Rebecca watched him in all his
dark glory, belting out his tormented love through the words of his song. And
she was as breathless with wonder as Christine herself must have been when the
masked stranger serenaded her in the candlelit labyrinth of the opera house. In
that moment, Justyn wasn’t just portraying the phantom. Justyn was the phantom.
“Let the music touch your soul.
Let the darkness make you whole.
Do not fear what is unknown.
Your true path has now been
shown.
Listen to the words I sing.
Embrace the peace that night will bring.”
As he continued to sing in his deep but somehow angelic
voice, Rebecca found that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. With every
line, her heart began to beat faster.
She truly felt the arms of night wrapping her in a warm embrace. She
could almost feel the hands of the phantom glide along her body as the words
poured forth. The music caressed her. It possessed her—mind, body and soul.
Each word left her longing, yearning for more.
She was gawking so obviously, it was hardly surprising when
Justyn felt her eyes on him and steadily met her gaze. She realized her mouth
was hanging open in stunned awe, and she quickly snapped it shut. His lips
moved into just a small hint of a smile. He never took his eyes off her while
he sang the final verse, making her cheeks flush to the point that she felt
almost feverish. But it wasn’t embarrassment but excitement, arousal even,
which was sending her mind spinning in so many directions.
When the song was over, and Rebecca had recovered just a
hint of her composure, she couldn’t help but burst into a healthy round of
applause. A few scattered people joined in, including Debbie and Carmen after
she nudged them in the ribs. But only Miss King seemed to truly appreciate the
brilliance of his talent as much as Rebecca did.
“That was amazing, Justyn!” the teacher gushed.
“Lord Justyn,” he
corrected as he stepped down from the stage.
A few others
complimented him as well, but he took in all in stride. In fact, his serious
expression never faltered as he stepped down from the stage. He seemed almost
bored, like it was all he could do to hold back a yawn, despite the smiles and
words of encouragement.
But not everyone in the crowd was pleased as Justyn glided
down the aisle, so ethereal in his dark garments that he still resonated the
spirit of the Opera Ghost. Miss King might have been excited about the newest
male addition to her cast after being limited for many years, but Tom and his
group of boisterous companions glared at him as he passed them by. Jay sneered and tossed a balled up piece of
paper in Justyn’s direction, but the Goth was quick, and caught it in his hand
without missing a beat.
“I think you dropped something,” he said.
His speaking voice was no less melodic than his singing
voice, but something about his tone made Rebecca shiver. He tossed the paper
back at Jay, who was nowhere near as coordinated as Justyn. He practically fell
off his seat in his efforts to catch it.
“Hey vampire,” Tom called when Justyn went to walk away.
“Are you sure you can handle the competition?”
Justyn smiled, a cool, sarcastic half-smile, and crossed his
arms over his chest. “Are you?”
Miss King didn’t notice the short confrontation, and Justyn
vanished from the auditorium as quickly and mysteriously as he had appeared.
Only Rebecca had noticed the very real tension between the two boys. She
wondered if it was a bad omen for them to start off the production with hard
feelings and envy. That could only lead to trouble. The kind of trouble that
could end with someone getting hurt. The
kind of trouble that Rebecca would do whatever it took to avoid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Laura “Luna”
DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children.
She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also
the editor of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active
member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to
eight years. Her current works include
Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, Morrigan, Player, and Demon.
Social Media
Links:
http://authorlauradeluca.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/authorldeluca
www.facebook.com/authorlauradeluca
http://pinterest.com/authorldeluca/
http://www.goodreads.com/authorlauradeluca
If you
haven't read the first book in the series, now is a great time to get your
copy. To celebrate the release of Demon, Phantom is now on sale for only $1.99
exclusively on Amazon!
Smashwords:
Barnes &
Noble:
Buy Links for Demon:
Amazon:
Smashwords:
Barnes &
Noble:
Laura will be awarding to a US Only Winner: a signed copy of Phantom with original cover, crystal geode, rough crystal point, stone pendant, sterling silver pentacle pendant, mini Buddha figurine, smudge stick with abalone shell, 2 Gothic style key chains, incense set with leaf holder and lavender purification bath salts to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
The more you comment, the more you have chances to win! Follow the blog, leave a comment and fill out the Rafflecopter form below! Check out more stops on the tour here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.
The more you comment, the more you have chances to win! Follow the blog, leave a comment and fill out the Rafflecopter form below! Check out more stops on the tour here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.
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