99 cent Pre-order: Smoke and Hellfire (The Shadow Journals, #1) by Kristen Brand - Meet the characters

They say friendship is magic, and I 100% agree.

Strong friendship is one of my favorite tropes in genre fiction, especially between characters who are very different. That’s why my upcoming book, Smoke and Hellfire, focuses on friendship rather than romance.

The two lead characters have a Sherlock Holmes/John Watson vibe in that one is the protagonist and the other is the viewpoint character recording their adventures. They’re a total odd couple and get into tons of trouble together, and I hope you enjoy reading about them.

Bea Romo Reyes
She's a badass exorcist who talks tough and can back it up with her fiery fists. Her alcohol tolerance is almost as high as her tolerance for weird supernatural shit, and she has terrible taste in men.

She appeared in the free prequel short story The Memory of Ghosts, but her origins were mysterious. Where do her pyrokinetic powers come from? And how did she learn everything there is to know about ghosts and demons?

Smoke and Hellfire won't spill all her secrets, but it will reveal more about her character.

Maggie Greenfield
She practices witchcraft but is the first to admit that she's not very good at it. But she tries her best, and she always has herbs, charms, and an emergency tea bag on hand for when things get dicey.

Anxious and painstakingly polite, she's fascinated by the supernatural and jumps on the chance to join Bea on her adventures.

...she really didn't know what she was getting into.

Smoke and Hellfire (The Shadow Journals, #1)
by Kristen Brand
Publication date: November 21, 2022
Genre: urban fantasy
Keep calm and call an exorcist.

Most people don’t believe in the supernatural—at least until a ghost starts making the walls in their house bleed. That’s when they call Bea Romo Reyes. She’s my best friend and roommate, and she works as a freelance exorcist and paranormal consultant. Meeting her plunged me into a supernatural world both wonderful and terrifying, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

But there’s something Bea’s not telling me, and her secret might be more dangerous than the demons she’s hired to exorcise.

Smoke and Hellfire contains four episodic, novelette-length stories:

The Scent of Brimstone
When my friend dies mysteriously and her house stinks of brimstone, I know a demon is to blame. And when it threatens my friend’s family, I do the only thing I can think of: I call a professional exorcist.

An Unfair Bargain
Bea and I investigate a missing woman who wandered into the forest at night like she was possessed. But the truth of what happened is—if possible—even worse than demonic possession, and we might not make it out of the forest alive.

Drowning, Drowning
A ghost tour in St. Augustine accidentally raises a vengeful spirit who starts picking off the tour group one by one. Can Bea banish the ghost in time to save the young tour guides from a watery grave?

The Corporate Job
I always knew corporations were evil, but this one takes it a step further when they summon a demon to increase their profit margins. With a possessed CFO chained up in the basement and Bea’s exorcism failing, the demon reveals a sinister secret that could change everything.

If you like female friendships, action-packed urban fantasy, and a touch of supernatural horror, then you’ll love Smoke and Hellfire. 

Preorder the ebook by 11/20/22 to get it at its special sale price of 99 cents. It will go up to $3.99 on release day, so act fast!

PREORDER NOW from your favorite ebook retailer!

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About the Author

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If Kristen Brand could have any superpower, she'd want telekinesis so she wouldn't have to move from her computer to pour a new cup of tea. She spends far too much time on the internet, and when she's not writing, she's usually reading novels or comic books. She lives in Florida, the Sunshine State, and will someday go outside for long enough to actually get some sun.

To find out more about her work and read her free web fiction, visit KristenBrand.com. Icon by @heckosart.

Character Fun Facts: Leigh Morgan from the Dark and Otherworldly Series by Kristen Brand

Character Fun Facts: Leigh Morgan from the Dark and Otherworldly Series 

by Kristen Brand

I’m the type of author who comes up with characters before plot, so Poison and Honey would be nothing without its heroine, Leigh Morgan. I think she’s awesome, though I might be a little biased, and I’m excited to share a bit about her today.

Personality: Leigh is the strong and silent type, and she’s perfected her resting bitch face to discourage people from talking to her. She has an acerbic sense of humor, and when she does talk, she tends to be blunt to the point of rudeness, though she’s not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings (usually). She prefers fighting monsters to being social, but she loosens up around her close friends.

Looks: Dark brown (nearly black) hair, blue eyes, light beige skin. Five-foot ten, lean and muscular build. Really scary glare.

Powers: None.

Skills: Leigh started off as a brawler but later studied several martial arts. Though she can shoot a gun, her weapon of choice is a knife, and she has years of experience fighting the mysterious, magic-wielding beings in Otherworld.

Family: Her father is deceased and her mother estranged, her family having fallen apart after the disappearance of her sister, who was stolen away to Otherworld.

Pets: A black cat named Ninja who’s almost as antisocial as she is.

Hobbies: She’s a gym rat and spends most of her time lifting weights, running, and hitting punching bags. She’s always on the lookout for someone new to spar with.

Style: Leigh is annoyed by the impractical clothing she has to wear while spying in Otherworld. (She’ll never take a good bra for granted again.) She likes leather jackets and sturdy boots (the better to kick enemies in the face with), and her favorite accessory is a knife holster.

Favorite Food: Pizza

Mission: Rescue the human captives from Otherworld and avenge her sister.

Poison and Honey (Dark and Otherworldly Book 1)

by Kristen Brand
Word Count: 43,000
Genre: Urban fantasy
Cover Artist: Triumph Book Covers
Keep your head down. Watch out for dark magic. And whatever you do, stay away from the sly, handsome prince.

Leigh Morgan has known that magic exists ever since an unearthly monster abducted her sister. It’s why she’s in Otherworld now, posing as a servant in its dark, decadent palace. She’s gathering intelligence and working with a small band of allies to bring down the Others and free their human captives. Her mission depends on blending in, so the last thing she wants is to attract the attention of a cunning prince.

Dredarion Rath wants one thing: to disgrace his older brother and prove himself the worthier heir to the throne. And out of all the servants in the palace, he chooses Leigh to help him. Just her luck.

Now Leigh has to keep her work a secret from a bewitching man who sees right through her--and who's not nearly as cold and inhuman as he seems. She can't screw this up, or the humans forced into servitude will never go home. But juggling two conspiracies at once, it's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down, and the man she's falling for has her executed for her betrayal...

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About the Author

Website-Twitter-Goodreads

Pinterest
If Kristen Brand could have any superpower, she'd want telekinesis so she wouldn't have to move from her computer to pour a new cup of tea. She spends far too much time on the internet, and when she's not writing, she's usually reading novels or comic books. She lives in Florida, the Sunshine State, and will someday go outside for long enough to actually get some sun.

To find out more about her work and read her free web fiction, visit KristenBrand.com. Icon by @heckosart.