Haunted Halloween: Lee Nichols (Exclusive!!) + A Giveaway!

A HUGE thank you to Lee for allowing me to bring to everyone an exclusive! I have the very first excerpt & summary from Betrayal (Haunted Emma, #2) - The sequel the Deception.



Cover not
 final, Subject to change.

 BETRAYAL Cover Copy:

Emma Vaile is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. Which is great when she's battling the wraith-master Neos, but terrible when she's flirting with fellow ghostkeeper (and soul mate) Bennett. When ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses all power, and that's not something Bennett can handle. Heartbroken and alone, Emma tries to lose herself in school with fellow ghostkeeper, Natalie.

When a new team of ghostkeepers arrive—one a snarky teen boy, the other a British scholar—Emma finds solace in training for the battle against Neos. But as the team grows stronger, they are threatened by an unknown force. One they thought was good.

As chilling and page-turning as Deception, this sequel will grab readers and hold them to the last page. No one is safe from suspicion as Emma closes in on the traitor.

BETRAYAL Excerpt:

I wasn’t sure how other ghostkeepers traveled to fight a couple of ancient ghasts, but Natalie and I walked, and by the time we got there it was dusk.

        “In the playground?” Natalie asked. “Are you sure there are ghasts here? How come nobody’s felt them before?”
        I nodded. “That’s what, um, Edmund told me.”
        I didn't know how to explain the Rake to Natalie. Yeah, she'd understand that he was a ghost, but she'd want to summon him all the time, which he’d hate. Plus, I kind of liked having him to myself.
        The playground was in the corner of a town park, and we crossed the street and followed a gravel path past the oak trees where people tossed tennis balls for their dogs during the day.
        I shivered in my peacoat. “I don't like the weather here.”
        “You Californians are wusses.” She eyed the slides and swings.
        “I never noticed how creepy playgrounds look after dark.” I looked around. “Maybe we should come back.”
        “No way, man. It only makes it more fun.” Natalie was a girl who goes naked in the Jacuzzi, and takes the dare instead fibbing about the truth. Ghasts at dusk were not going to intimidate her. “Here goes,” she said.
        Natalie closed her eyes and I felt their spirits before she even finished, like needles on my skin. I'd never dealt with ghasts before. They weren't as dangerous as wraiths, but I still felt their twistedness.
        “Wait,” I blurted, “I'm not ready.”
        “Too late,” Natalie said, opening her eyes. “They're here.”
        They rose from the ground beside the drinking fountain, as if awakened from a deep slumber. Their heads swayed as they scanned and sniffed for the reason they'd been summoned. They didn’t look like wraiths, with tattered skin and hollow eyes, but like regular ghosts, in bad costumes, except gray, like they'd stepped out of an old black and white film.
        “They look harmless,” I said, but the Rake had mentioned a trap.
        “Looks are deceiving,” Natalie said.
        There were two of them, both male, both dressed similar to the Rake, only less tailored and elegant. They swiveled toward Natalie and me, bared their teeth and flew at us.
        “Okay,” Natalie said. “Your turn.”
        “What?”
        “I can only summon them, Emma. You have to dispel them.”
        I panicked. “I don’t know how!”
        “What are you talking about? You’re Emma frickin’ Vaile, you know everything!”
        “Run!” I yelled. “Natalie, run!”

Title: Deception (Haunting Emma #1)

Synopsis: When Emma Vaile's parents leave on mysterious business trip, it gives her the perfect excuse to be a rebellious teen. Throw some parties, get a tattoo (or maybe just a piercing), and enjoy the first few weeks of her junior year. Then her best friend stops talking to her, the cops crash her party, and Emma finds herself in the hands of a new guardian—her college-age "knight in J.Crew armor," Bennett Stern—and on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England.

After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma settles in by making friends with the popular legacy crowd. But she can't shake the strange visions that are haunting her. She has memories of Thatcher she can't explain, as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Emma doesn't trust anyone anymore—except maybe Bennett. But he's about to reveal a ghostly secret to Emma. One that will explain the visions . . . and make Emma fear for her life.

Deception (Haunting Emma #1) Available from Bloomsbury Now!

Order Deception online here: Amazon | Borders | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Betrayal (Haunting Emma #2) Available from Bloomsbury March 1st, 2011

Perorder Betrayal online here: Amazon | Borders | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Where to fine Lee Online:

Website | Blog | Twitter

Read my review of Deception: HERE

Enter to win a signed Hardback copy of Deception!

Here are the rules and how to enter:

You MUST complete the form to enter. No entries in comments please they won't count. Comments are welcome, so share your love with Lee!
You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
This contest is open to to US residents only. Sorry!
Contest ends: Oct. 20th, 2010

This Contest is NOW CLOSED!

ENTER HERE

Good luck to everyone who enters. If you have any questions, please see my policy page or feel free to email me with any questions.

A HUGE thank you to Lee for saying yes to being a part of our Halloween Event, and for giving me the privilage in sharing for the very first time - anywhere on the web - both the cover copy and excerpt for Betrayal. It was extremely exciting not only to read it, espicially when it's a book I can't wait to read in an amazing series, but to be granted the honor of sharing this exclusive with everyone else. Lee, I can't say thank you enough. Also, without her donation, this giveway wouldn't be possible. Thank you, thank you for everything.

Check out Jessica's Haunted Halloween post with Denise Jade + a
Giveaway for a signed copy of Losing Faith!

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