Yes 10 days into the New Years and so far not so bad. I have a busy year ahead and I just want to give you all a little update for what I have going on…

• I’ll be in Vegas at the Rock & Read Vegas Author Event signing Jan. 16th from 11-6…Tickets can be purchased still here. If you can’t make it worry not as I’ll be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mar. 12th, Biloxi, Mississippi Mar. 19th, and Dublin, Ireland Oct. 8th.
• My next release will be Blood of the Ancient Gods: The Beginning a prequel novel to my trilogy that I hope to release in 2017. This is just the set up. You can go to the pre order party here. And you can pre order for $0.99 here. The event will be Feb. 29-Mar. 4, 2016 and the release date is Mar. 8, 2016.
• I’m putting together a virtual author signing here that will have 33 authors signing virtual autographs from the http://www.authorgraph.com website. Details will be in the event on Facebook. So make sure you RSVP! There will also be door prizes and participation prizes. Two each along with a few author giveaways from donating authors. The event will be from Feb. 8-12, 2016
• I’ve been chugging away on Dark Indiscretions: Triple Cursed (Dark Indiscretions Series, Book 4) for the last few days and it’s moving along faster than I anticipated. Right now my tentative date is Dec. 2016 but if I continue how I’ve been I might be several months ahead of that. You can add it to Goodreads as of right now. More info to come later 🙂 You can also read a sneak peek of the Prologue if interested here.
• If you’re looking for something to read please check out my Amazon page!

My tentative releases for this year will be:

1. Blood of the Ancient Gods: The Beginning – Mar. 8th 2016
2. Snap Shot – co authored with L.M. Adams – Coming 2016
3. Dangerous Mate (Pride Wars Short Story, Book 2) – Coming 2016
4. Dark Indiscretions: Triple Cursed (Dark Indiscretions Series, Book 4) – Coming 2016
5. Kiss and Tell: Encounters of a Man Whore Vol. 1-6 – Bonus release if I have time. Companion to Kiss and Tell: Encounters of a Prostitute Vol. 1-6 which is now available

 

Lastly I’ll leave you with a teaser of Blood of the Ancient Gods: The Beginning…unedited and subject to change. Copyright 2016 Shakuita Johnson.

Prologue

THURSDAY

“It’s been decided then?” Loki asked.

The dark-haired, blue-eyed devil was the god of mischief and enjoyed his job very well. Loki was always up to this or that but he also had his moments of seriousness. Like now for instances. Changes were a foot and it was all hands on deck.

“Yes, six supernaturals residing in three different bodies. Two in each body,” Eris replied.

Eris, with her long blonde hair and golden eyes that saw everything, was the goddess of chaos and as such got along with Loki immensely. They were always getting into trouble causing havoc but lately things had started to slow down. They weren’t as powerful as they once were.

“I see. How will it be done?” Loki asked.

“Everything that’s human about them will be striped away and in its place only the monsters will remain.”

“Have the girls been chosen?”

“Not yet. That is where you come in. You will find the three humans best suited for the task.”

“Am I to know what creatures we will be creating? Which ones would be paired together? That way I can find proper candidates the first time.”

“Of course. Come, we must find Hecate, Fenrir, and Oberon. They will be the ones infusing the humans with the powers they deem appropriate.”

Eris and Loki went to search Domus, the mythical home for most of the gods, for the three gods that would be preforming the rituals on the human vessels. They would have the necessary details that Loki would need to find the perfect humans for the procedure. Picking the wrong ones could prove fatal and waste precious valuable time. Time that they were no longer sure they had left. Besides the gods were weak and likely to be able to preform the ritual only once so it was best things were done right the first time, as there probably wouldn’t be a second chance. Eris and Loki chatted quietly during their search about day-to-day operations of the remaining gods. Everyone was on edge and had every right to be. Their powers were fading everyday and soon there would be nothing left of them but memories. It was a problem they were desperately trying to avoid and this plan with the human vessels may just be the key. The sooner they found them the better.

***

Hecate looked up from her vanity when Fenrir and Oberon entered her room. Did they not know how to knock? They were the rudest gods she knew.

“Is there a reason you two have barged into my chambers? I could have been naked for all you knew,” Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, said.

“We had an arranged meeting time so why would we knock? You’re not making any sense,” Fenrir, the god of wolves, growled.

Fenrir was always growling, perhaps it was the beast in him and Oberon was no better.

“Exactly,” Oberon, the god of dragons, huffed. “You should have been waiting expectantly for our arrival.

“The both of you should be checked for brain injuries,” Hecate said.

She turned back around to face her mirror and continued to brush her black hair. The red tips made her hair look as if it were on fire and back in her hay day it served well in scaring the natives. The purple eyes also helped with that particular scheme. Those were certainly the days, back when she was worshiped freely and often. Now, it was a wonder she had the strength to get out of bed in the mornings. All ready many of the gods had faded because no one prayed to them anymore. It was only the handful of witches that kept her going. It was the same for Fenrir and Oberon. People’s obsession with wolves and dragons were the only reason they hadn’t faded out as well. Before she could dwell to heavily on these travesties and her rapidly failing strength Fenrir’s voice broke into her thoughts.

“So what are we going to do about our worshipper problems?” Fenrir asked, getting right to the point of the meeting.

Hecate took in his glowing yellow eyes and gruff but handsome appearance. It was easy to mistake him for one of the wolves he loved so much. Anyone looking at him would be hard pressed not to fall to their knees and submit to his every command. Centuries ago he held command of legions and now only the wolves followed him but there were no battles to be fought. He was graying every year that his worshippers died. He wasn’t as young and vibrant as he once was but he was still just as handsome. It would only take new prayers reaching his ears to bring him back to his old self again.

“I believe I may have an idea. It will not only supply us with more worshippers but it will help us to defeat those gods who wish harm upon us,” Hecate said.

“Are you to tell us this plan, witch?” Oberon asked.

Hecate could see the smoke trails streaming from his nose when he spoke. Just like a dragon. He was constantly growling or roaring one thing or another. Too much time spent in his human form but it was getting harder and harder to change with all the technological advances of the modern world they now lived in. He could no longer fly high above the skies without notice or care. A few decades ago he’d tried and was nearly shot out of the sky. Now he was some odd mix between a dragon and a man, with his black tipped claws on human hands, and fangs longer than even Fenrir’s, and reptilian green eyes that sometimes glittered gold on a stunning human face.

“We will build up an army of supernaturals that will also serve as our worshippers. We will infuse them with the blood of two paranormal beings as well as our own to bond them to us. We will use human vessels to build up our ranks. They will give their gift to others they deem worthy of it by a simple transfer of their blood to the mortal. I will mix the blood of elves and fairies with mine and call my creation the Nymphacris,” Hecate stated.

Hecate watched the faces of Fenrir and Oberon as they thought over what she’d just told them. She could see the wheels turning in their heads and hoped they saw the genius behind her suggestions. It was the only way to guarantee they would have the strength to fight alongside their creations, by also ensuring they were worshipped by those sharing their blood.

“Interesting concept. I believe I can mix my blood with those of vampire and werewolf to create the Sucolupus,” Fenrir said.

“And if I mix my blood with witches and dragons, I can create the Pristis-Incantatrix. And before you object about the witches, you didn’t pick them and not much can be mixed with the blood of a dragon. Also the dragons won’t be able to shift to full dragons but smaller variations of them and the witch blood will help. Lastly, the human vessels we use will have to be very strong to handle such powers in their mortal bodies,” Oberon said.

“I wasn’t going to object to the witches, as I will still get power from them regardless. Now it is decided then. Eris should be arriving shortly with Loki so that we can let him know what we will need him to be on the lookout for in our vessels. We will only get one shot at this. Our powers are but a fraction of what they used to be and not a very big fraction at that. It will take just about all our strength to pull off this feat and it must go smoothly. There can be no mistakes,” Hecate said.

Their meeting was interrupted by a light knock on the door and the entrance of Eris and Loki.

“Good, we were just talking about you two,” Fenrir said.

“Yes, do come in. We don’t have much time and we need to get this done as quickly as possible,” Oberon said.

“What do you know so far of our plans Loki?” Hecate asked.

“Just that you want to create some sort of super soldiers but I’m confused on how it will benefit all of us gods and not just you three,” Loki said.

“I don’t know why you’re worried. There is always someone spreading mischief and chaos around,” Hecate said.

“True but they aren’t praying and worshipping Eris or me,” Loki said.

“We will ensure your survival for your assistance in this matter,” Oberon promised.

“Can we get that in writing?” Eris asked.

“Don’t you trust us?” Fenrir asked.

“Not even a little bit,” Eris said sweetly.

“Fine, we will negotiate a contract but for now we need to discuss what we are looking for,” Hecate said.

“I’m all ears and while I’m out looking for the perfect vessels, the three of you can draft a contract. I’ll look over it as will Eris and then I will tell you whom I’ve found. Sound fair?” Loki asked.

Hecate huddled in a small circle with Fenrir and Oberon and they discussed Loki and Eris’s terms. They seemed reasonable for now so they were in agreement.

“We agree. Now can we get on with it? We are running out of time,” Hecate said.

“I’m ready when you are. I need to know what you’re looking for in each of your vessels so I can procure the right ones,” Loki said.

“Yes, of course. I will start with my vessel. She must be slim and slight but also strong of will. Exceptionally beautiful and full of light and have features that could be confused with either elves or fairies. She must have an airy feel about her. I don’t know how else to explain it. The vessels must inspire loyalty and cunning,” Hecate said.

“I think that is enough information for me to go by. Who’s next?” Loki asked.

“My vessel must also be a she and one that has a darkness in her that most of the world would never know just by looking at her. She must be mysterious, quick, and lithe in build. The air around her must be charged and dangerous. Pretty much the opposite of what Hecate wants in a vessel,” Fenrir said.

“Okay, Oberon it’s your turn and then I’ll be off.”

“My vessel must have the art of seduction down but also the eyes of a predator. She will be thick-skinned and vibrant but also capable of great violence when pushed. She needs to be a natural-born leader or as Fenrir says an alpha of the pack but she also needs to be able to relinquish control sometimes and follow another best suited for the task,” Oberon said.

Loki thought over all the descriptions he was given and decided the best place to narrow down the search was to go to one of the human libraries and look into older news articles. A teen or young college student would be the best choice as they are more likely to survive the transformation to an entirely new being. He would have to tread carefully in his search so he wouldn’t draw too much attention to himself. He also didn’t want girls who were surrounded by the masses.

The more they blended instead of stood out would be a plus. There were a lot of pretty girls that didn’t have a harlem of people following their every moves. If he was being honestly with himself he was surprised the older gods trusted him with this task instead of going out and finding these vessels themselves. They did after all have enough power to teleport to earth and glamour their appearances. However, it wasn’t that sure about Oberon who was more beast than man. No point in questioning it, he was picked and he’d do the job to the best of his abilities.

“I will return as soon as possible. No less than a day or two. I know the perfect place to start,” Loki said.

He teleported out as soon as the words left his mouth to what the humans referred to as The United States of America in the center of the state of Maryland. Now to find a proper library and begin what could possibly be a longer search then he expected.