Curse of the Marhime, Now in Print!

Curse of the Marhime: Excerpt and Reviews

A Wild Rose Press Release: Curse of the Marhime
Book I, The Roma Wolf Tales Series
Print ISBN 1-60154-353-0

Print Release Date: December 12, 2008

Available at:
The Wild Rose Press
Amazon.com

Blurb:
A routine visit to the grocery store and a chance encounter with a psychic plunges Pita Sedgwick into a dark world of shape-shifting, magic, and Gypsy lore. Pita finds herself on a plane to Romania, seeking the answers to her mysterious birth and in search of her biological family.

Fate intervenes in the form of handsome seatmate, Niko Ionesciu. Pita is sure she’s found love and her history. But as her innocent fact-finding mission spirals into a dangerous game of revenge and deceit with the Gypsy Matriarch, the psychic’s words come back to haunt her. Can she trust the people around her with her terrifying secret or will the search for her family end in the ultimate betrayal?

Excerpt:
After two stopovers and one plane change, Pita
settled in for the next leg of the journey. She’d
finished her novel long ago and had stopped in one of
the airport shops in Toronto and picked up a couple
of magazines and another book.

Some passengers looked familiar, but many
faces were different now. Her seatmates, the elderly
couple seemed to be gone or at least not seated
anywhere near her. This plane was a little smaller
and had only two seats on either side of the aisle, the
one next to her remained empty.

Absently, she fingered through one of the
magazines when someone plopped down beside her.
She glanced up into a face whose smile was so
infectious and openly shy, that she instantly found
herself returning the smile. “Hi.”

His hair was dark-blond and longish, not quite
shoulder length. Little crinkles formed at the
corners of his eyes when he smiled, and he had a
dimple on his chin. She had an urge to reach out and
touch a finger to that dimple. God, he is so cute. A
flush of heat exploded in her as her eyes locked onto
his hazel ones.

“Hello,” she said in return and tightened her
grip on the magazine. She wanted to reach up and
push his wayward hair out of his ruggedly handsome
face. And to make matters worse she wanted to kiss
that adorable lopsided smile right off his face. Oh my
god, get a grip. What is wrong with me?

“Don’t let me interrupt you.” He glanced down at
the magazine in her lap. “You were reading.”
Something seemed familiar about him, but she
couldn’t put a finger on it. Pita detected a slight
Eastern European accent. She blushed and
concentrated on closing the magazine in her lap to
regain her composure. Her reaction to him bordered
on odd, and she couldn’t even find the correct words
to describe it. Something tugged deep within her,
some primal response to this man. Bigger than lust.
It unhinged her.

“No, you’re not, interrupting, I mean… I was
just flipping through it waiting for takeoff for
the…um…the umpteenth time,” she smiled again,
hoping to conceal how he unnerved her.

“You’re American?”

“Yes. I’m from Montana.” Pita answered. Why is
it I turn into an idiot around good-looking men? Get
a grip. “My name is Pita.” She extended a hand to
him.

He took it, and Pita felt an odd vibration, a rush
of…power? A surge shot straight up her arm that
washed into her torso. It was the strangest
sensation, not in any way painful, just odd. They
stared at each other for long seconds before he
answered.

“I’m Nikolae Ionesciu, very nice to meet
you. Please, call me Niko.” Again, that shy
disarming smile. He had a small scar on his upper
lip but it only added to his good looks.

Pita blushed again and looked down into her
lap, so he wouldn’t notice. The jolt she felt from the
brief touch was compelling. It vibrated through her
arm like the aftershock of an electrical current. He’d
felt it too, she’d seen it in his eyes. She picked the
magazine off her lap and slipped it in the slot on the
seat in front of her for something to do. No denying
she was attracted to him, but the strange sensation
that passed between them had nothing to do with it.
She knew—no felt instinctively— without a doubt,
this was something entirely different.

“Where are you from? Your accent…” Pita
considered a moment. “Slavic? Perhaps somewhere
near Romania?” She guessed. “My best friend was
born there. Her parents have a similar accent.”

“I was born in Hungary but grew up in Northern
Romania just over the border between the two
countries.” He explained. “I travel between the
United States and Romania often these days.”
“That explains your almost perfect English.”
Pita grinned. She loved the husky timbre of his
voice. Its slightly raspy baritone caressed her
senses—soft, sensuous.

The stewardess passed by, advising everyone to
buckle their seatbelts, that the plane would be
taxiing for take off in a moment.
Pita busied herself with the seatbelt and locked
the little tray in place. Niko bent to place his
backpack under the seat in front of him then buckled
himself in. He pushed back the hair that had fallen
into his face when he’d bent down. Pita wondered
what it would be like to feel that hand touch her
face, her neck, slide down her...

Oh God, what is the matter with me?

The plane lurched forward and began its taxi to
the runway. She relaxed into the seat and waited for
the usual rush when the plane sped up and then left
the ground. Better to concentrate on that than what
she’d been thinking a moment ago.

“Here we go.” He commented.

“Hmmmm…” she responded glad that of all the
seats in the plane his was beside her. The plane
picked up momentum and lifted off the runway and
into the night.

Reviews:
"CURSE OF THE MARHIME was an awesome book…Niko had the right amount of heart and strength to become one of those memorable heroes. I cannot wait for book two!"

Review by ~Megan
Bitten by Books
***
"CURSE OF THE MARHIME has instances that gave me tingling sensations down my spine. I was completely drawn to the storyline and love the little dark moments. From the shape-shifting, the gypsies, and the wolves, I found this an incredible read…If the first book is this awesome, I can hardly wait for the others in the series."

Reviewed by ~Cherokee
Coffee Time Romance
***
"Dayana Knight's CURSE OF THE MARHIME is the first in her Roma Wolf Tales series. With plot twists and turns aplenty, the ups and downs in the book make reading it an intellectual rollercoaster...I just love a book that keeps me guessing and if the first is anything to go by this series definitely will."

Reviewed by ~Valerie
Manic Reviews
***
“CURSE OF THE MARHIME blends a strange, almost magical aura to contemporary times.
Pita Sedgwick has no need of fortune-tellers, but the one that accosts her so adamantly in the grocery store fills her with questions and foreboding. In moments, her ho-hum life begins to change. Ominous symbols reach out from her mostly hidden past.
Throughout, Pita has a valuable friends, unexpected guides… and the love of her life (And he truly is a dream lover: wonderful heroic, and so much more than merely human – but I refuse to give away the magic of this particular secret!) But, will her quest supersede all?
This is not entirely a dark, sinister tale. There are some lighter moments, and certainly some wonderful, heartfelt and heartwarming moments…
In this unpredictable novel of love, desperation, and triumph, Dayana Knight has woven a thrilling and unpredictable tale. The pace is fast, descriptions clear, and the characters – even secondary characters – are wonderfully developed."

Review by ~Snapdragon
The Long and Short Review

Merry Christmas!

I hope your day was filled with the shining warmth and love of family and friends.

My DH and I shared a quiet holiday amongst family. We didn't get caught up in all the commercialism this year. We truly can say we shared the holiday in its true meaning for the first time ever. We did not exchange gifts, we did not get lost in the bustling crowds of the season, but we did share lots of love and family time.

We have no children which made this season bearable as like so many others we struggle just to make ends meet in these trying times. With the state of the economy is these days, I have to admire parents struggling and conniving to make the holiday wonderful and full for their children and not having the available funds to accomplish the feat. God bless you all and I wish you prosperity in the New Year.

We have a beautiful Sheltie, Gypsy Lee, who was diagnosed with Canine cutaneous epitheliotropic lymphoma (mycosis fungoides)which is rare and virtually, as we are finding out, hard to treat. She is a fighter and has not had any life threatening changes to personality, vigor, or activity, however, she has horrendous tumors forming around her upper snout/lips. We are treating the disease at this time with oral chemotherapy and are in the first stages of treatment.

Why do I bring this up? Because I am trying to explain how we have first hand witnessed the joy of this season. First, I want to say I feel so very fortunate to still have my baby with me and doing well in spite of the ugliness of the disease.

Now to the point. We (the family) all agreed to not exchange gifts this year. We're all older and there are no children involved so we opted to have a nice simple celebration. Well...

To my DH and my surprise, Gypsy was the recipient of all the gifts. She got everything from her favorite treats to money for her medical treatment! Needless to say her mommie spent some time in humble tears today. Tears of joy knowing that our family cares as much for our Sheltie as we do and tears of relief knowing that the financial burden had been lifted if only a little.

To me that is the meaning of Christmas. Families and friends sharing, loving, and always with you in your darkest hour and times of need.

I hope you all have experienced a special joy this year. Thank you for allowing me to share mine with you.



Now, I'm sure you are all wondering who the winner of the drawing for a free download of Eternal Obsession, my newest release, an erotic vampire short available at The Wild Rose Press/Scarlet Line. DH drew the name out of one of his hats, LOL And the winner is...

Drumroll, please...

Mary Ricksen!!!

Congratulations, Mary. I hope you enjoy the story.

Now I'm off to work on Roma Wolf Tales Book II. One of my goals this year is to get two more projects done and submitted for consideration.

Have a wonderful night!

Dayana~

Christmas is upon us...

...and with it naturally comes memories of past years.

Funny how childlike we become this time of year. My Christmas memories are wonderful.

In the small town I grew up, Santa would ride around town upon our fire truck on the Friday night before Christmas. As soon as we heard the siren we would all gather on our porch steps to watch him go by. Then the next morning the entire town would go to the VFW. We all got to see Santa, sit on his lap, and tell him our tall Christmas wish list. Then he gave each of us a gift and the town served up hot dogs, soda, and a full day of fun and games.

I remember my brother and I being so excited about Santa's impending visit to our home that we couldn't sleep. My parents were big on decorations and tradition, so they did all the tree trimming and preparation on Christmas Eve after we were put to bed for the night. I remember bursting out of bed 3 or 4 AM, fleeing down the stairs only to stop and stare in amazement at Santa's handywork. The tree twinkled with lights and ornaments, presents made mountains up both walls and lay scattered beneath all around the base. And the only thing left of the cookies and milk we'd left out for Santa was a few crumbs upon the plate.

Mom and Dad must have just crawled their way to bed but up they got without complaint and seemingly as excited as we. Then the opening of presents began. Of course we weren't done yet because Christmas day the relatives would visit with more presents. And sometimes we would go out and visit, as well. It seemed the gifts never ended.

Memories of happy Christmas' leave my heart warmed but I miss the childlike innocence and anticipation the holiday always brought. I do, however, keep it in how I celebrate the holiday. I decorate, I used to bake up a storm-these days I don't do much of that, so little time but oh the smells of Toll House cookies baking. Another wonderful part of the holiday.

And the holiday Christmas specials. I watch them! Every year! I always have and I always will. From the cartoons of long ago to the new special movies of today. They are all so wonderful. The tales so loving. Even Scrooge is lovable, don't you agree?

Hey! What holiday special is your ultimate favorite. Do you like 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' or maybe 'The Charlie Brown Christmas Special'? Pehaps you absolutely love 'Scrooge' with Alistair Sim(My favorite oldtime movie), or 'A Christmas Carol' with George C. Scott. How about 'All I Want for Christmas' or maybe 'The Little Matchstick Girl'?

Why not take a moment to comment and post your favorite? Then stay turned. I'll draw a name on Christmas day for a free download of my newest release, Eternal Obsession, an erotic vampire short.

Anyway, I have a little song lyric to post now to guide you along the Christmas Sleigh Ride, so here we go...

"Ring a ding-ding, wrapping presents hearts reflect
The fire's glow, I have you underneath the mistletoe..."

Hint: One of the most popular and awarding winning Christmas specials featured this song.

And to spread more Christmas cheer, we're giving one lucky person a $75 Wild Rose Press gift certificate! All you need to do to enter is attend each day's blog post, identify the carol, and make a complete carol list to submit after the final blog post of Christmas Eve. Don't forget to check the list twice! Send it to Christmasrideblog@live.com by midnight, CST Dec. 31st 2008!

Next blog on the run: http://lianalaverentz.blogspot.com/

Best of luck to you all:) Hope you are enjoying the sleigh ride.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Dayana~

Tis the season...Ho! Ho! Ho! and all that...

Busy...
Busy...
Busy...

That's what life is for all of us this time of year. However, money is tight, bills keep coming, and life moves on at mindblowing regularity, don't you think?

I'm taking a small respite from the hustle and bustle to sit down and update you on my newest release. I had a blast over at Catherine Bybee's blog the other day and gave a way a free download of Eternal Obsession. Thank you if you dropped in to hang out with us. I also have been blessed with a beautiful review over at The Wild Rose Press! Here's what the reader had to say:

"You can't choose who you fall in love with, even if it's a vampire. Eternal Obsession embodies what love is. It is the giving up of yourself to become one with someone else. Ms. Knight has wrapped her pen around this age old idea, twisted it with vampire lore, and delivered one amazing read."
Date Added: 12/15/2008 by Catherine Kimmer

Now here's an idea for an interesting contest. This is actually the first review I've gotten that was placed on The Wild Rose Press review board. So here's what I propose:

Anyone who reads or has read either Curse of the Marhime or Eternal Obsession and puts up a review for said book over the next few weeks, I will enter into a drawing for a grab bag of goodies. How's that for a promo? Ask anyone who's received one of my grab bags just how much fun they are:) I will draw a winner on my birthday, Monday, January 12th.

One major stipulation: I expect honesty. Of course if you totally hate it, don't be nasty about it, LOL

On that note, have a wonderful day! It's off to the day job for me.

Oh and don't forget about the Christmas Sleigh Ride Contest going on as we speak! For more information on this contest just scroll down the blog entries or visit my website.

Talk to you later,

Dayana~

Eternal Obsession release is tomorrow! And Curse of the Marhime is available in print this month!!!

I am very excited about my newest release tomorrow, Friday, December 12th, Eternal Obsession which is my debut erotic story at The Wild Rose Press' Wilder side.

Also, Curse of the Marhime is available in print this month!

And more exciting news! It's party time! Catherine Bybee has invited me over to her blog for a visit. Please drop by and check us out at http://catherinebybee.blogspot.com/. I will give away a free download of Eternal Obsession to one lucky person who drops in and comments on Catherine's blog during my visit. I will draw the winner on Sunday night.

Blurb:

Life is precious or so we are told. But what of love? How can one distinguish between immortal love and mortal life? Tia must discover which is more important, for her lover walks the night and has given her a choice only she can make. Will she consent to be 'turned' or will she watch her love and life walk away forever?

Andres maddened a witch long ago when he refused to return her attraction. He is now doomed to wander the night for all eternity, feeding upon the elixir of life and forever alone, that is until he finds Tia, but he will not sway his love's decision. She must consent to be his of her own accord or he will walk forever out of her life.

Is love and lust strong enough to bind them for all time or is eternal obsession all they will ever share?

Look forward to seeing you over at Catherine's blog! Don't forget that if you post a comment you are eligible to win a free download of Eternal Obsession.

Dayana~

Wow! This blog has been nominated...

Thank you, Skhye! What a surprise and honor:)

http://blog.skhyemoncrief.com/

Skhye Moncrief nominated Dayana Knight's Blog for the Kreativ Blogger award.



6 values in others that are important to me:
Honesty
Loyalty
Respect
Friendship
Sincerity
Integrity

6 things that I do not support:
Racism
Ignorance (mostly in the news!)
Lying
Cheating
Animal Abuse
Child Abuse

Now for my 6 friends to share this with:

Best new blog:)
Romance By Catherine

Best Share Blog:)
http://maryricksen.com/pages/blog/blog.html

Great Collection of Writing Craft Information and Humor:)
Brown's Town

Most Informative on Marketing and Craft Promo
Allie's Musings

Best Gothic Formatting and Contest Depo!
Lady Vampire's Lair

Best from the heart topics and thoughts voiced:)
One Voice ~ Write Right


The rules are:
Mention the blog that gave it to you.
Comment on her blog to let her know you have posted the award.
Share 6 values that are important to you.
Share 6 things you do not support.
Share the love with six other wonderful blogging friends.

Christmas Sleigh Ride Contest is now running...

JUMP ABOARD OUR CHRISTMAS
SLEIGH RIDE!

SEE THE SIGHTS.

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC OF THE SEASON.

AND NAME THAT CHRISTMAS CAROL!

This is your chance to win a prize a day through Christmas Eve and one grand prize...
a $75 Wild Rose Press gift card.

Are you getting an e-reader for Christmas?

Well, what better than to fill it with e-books from sweet to erotic and contemporary to darkest sensual paranormal!!!

How do you begin this incredible journey?

Each day, the link to the next blog destination will be posted. But, hey! you want to enter to win the grand prize, and you're late to the game? We've experienced a few bumps since the start. So, I've posted the blog locations from day one:

Nov 29 http://plparker.blogspot.com/
Nov 30 http://lynnreynolds.blogspot.com/
Dec 1 WRP at http://thewildrosepress.blogspot.com
Dec 2 http://michelehart.blogspot.com/
Dec 3 Two blogs today!-- http://www.freewebs.com/teriwilson/terisblog.htm and http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.com
Dec 4 Roni Adams at http://thewildrosepress.blogspot.com

To enter to win the grand prize, you make a list of all the Christmas carols and submit the list as instructed. With 28 prizes, what have you got to lose? So come on jump on the sleigh and take a fun-filled sleigh ride right up to Christmas. The hot chocolate and cookies are free as well the great prizes.

Have fun!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Dayana

It seems the holidays are upon us once again...

Wow! Does time fly or what? I hope you all had a productive Thanksgiving weekend. How was your Black Friday? I, personally, steered clear of the mad shopping rush and always do the day after Thanksgiving. But this year, it is for more economical reasons. I don't know about all of you but the green stuff in this house is extremely tight.

I'm surprised at the media's announcement that the Holiday shopping numbers were better than expected. With the financial strife and so many still projected to loose jobs, etc. I would have thought Black Friday this year to be a bust. Well, obviously there is a steady flow of money within many people's grasp still. Good for them. Me? I'll just hold on to what I have. Credit cards be damned, the mortgage still needs paying and I for one will not any longer rob Peter to pay Paul, LOL Lesson learned one too many times already.

I spent my weekend cleaning and decorating. Nice quiet home time. Nothing like it. Don't you just love how cozy the house seems with all the holiday lighting and greenery?

Once I get the holiday preparations under way, I am gearing up to settle in and do the revisions on Dancing on the Edge, the novel I'd told you about earlier. This was my first published work that I recently requested my rights back from the original publishing house. I do have some interest generated in the novel so my goal is to get it cleaned up and ready for submission hopefully next month the latest. Not much to do really but it's funny how your writing skills grow. I look at that book now and see things I would have done differently, LOL

Another project I'd like to cover over the holidays is getting Roma Wolf Tales Book II under way. I have begun it but it is nowhere near done in first draft. These are my two priority goals going into the new year. What are your goals? Have you thought about that yet? Why not share them with us all. They don't have to be writing oriented. They can be anything. For instance, I plan on getting myself into a regular exercise routine. I have lost my discipline over the last several years and find other than the regular job which I am up and about, I sit in front of this laptop more time than not. Which as all of you realize doesn't help to tone the derriere in the least!

I look forward to hearing all about your New Year's goals and resolutions. And by all means have a wonderful Monday.

D~