Guest Author: Sara Humphreys

I am excited to welcome author Sara Humphreys, who is celebrating the release of her first Amoveo Legends novel, Unleashed.

What if you suddenly discovered your own powers were beyond anything you’d ever imagined…

Samantha Logan’s childhood home had always been a haven, but everything changed while she was away. She has a gorgeous new neighbor, Malcolm, who introduces her to the amazing world of the dream-walking, shapeshifting Amoveo clans…but what leaves her reeling with disbelief is when he tells her she’s one of them…

And shock turns to terror as Samantha falls prey to the deadly enemy determined to destroy the Amoveo, and the only chance she has to come into her true powers is to trust in Malcolm to show her the way…

Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away two copies of Unleashed.
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Dream Walking and the Amoveo

The Amoveo have a lot of cool powers but the one I like best is the ability to dream walk. The dream realm plays a crucial part in the mating process of the Amoveo. As you may know, the Amoveo are a secret society of shape shifters comprised of ten different animal clans. They have one pre-destined mate and if they don’t find that mate by the time they turn thirty, they lose all of their abilities and will die. According to their history, they can only mate with another Amoveo, although our hero in Unleashed finds out that’s a lot of hooey when he realizes his mate is a hybrid…more on that later.

When an Amoveo is born, they have a relatively normal childhood because none of their abilities, other than telepathy and dream-walking, emerges until they hit puberty. In fact, they don’t even know which clan they’ll favor until they go through their first shift which is around that time. They are also taught that they have one pre-destined soul mate. They have to find their mate in the dream realm first and then they can connect in the physical plane.

In the dream realm, the environment is controlled by one or both parties and they are fully conscious of everything that is happening. Additionally, they remember all of it and whatever happens in the dream realm can, and usually does, have a direct impact on their physical world. The heroine in Unleashed, Samantha Logan, is unaware that she is a hybrid. Sam is half human and half Amoveo from the Gray Wolf clan. Her parents died when she was an infant, she was raised by her human grandmother and all of her powers lay dormant until Malcolm finds her.

Samantha has been plagued by bizarre dreams for most of her life but doesn’t understand their significance. A dream on her thirtieth birthday compels her to leave her life in New York City and move back home with her grandmother. I thought you might like to read an excerpt from Unleashed and get a peek at the dream realm of the Amoveo.
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Excerpt from Unleashed

“Samantha,” he whispered in his dark silky voice. Sam’s skin tingled deliciously with just one word from him. A smile played at her lips as she waited for him to call her again. Her silent prayer was answered as he murmured her name. “Samantha.” That same delightful rush washed over her like the warm waves that rippled by her feet. She stretched languidly on the sandy beach, and her eyes fluttered open. She was home.

She sat up and glanced at the familiar seashore of her childhood home. Sam knew it was only a dream. It had become a familiar one. The ocean glowed with unnatural shades of blue as if it was lit from beneath. The sky swirled with clouds of lilac and lavender. She stood up and relished the way the soft, pebble-free sand felt on her bare feet. A gentle breeze blew Sam’s golden hair off her naked shoulders, and her long white nightgown fluttered lightly over her legs.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the salty air. He was near. She could feel it. Her blood hummed, and the air around her thickened. She’d come so close to seeing him many times, but she always woke up just before she found him.

Not this time.

This time she would stay on the beach and call him to her. It was her dream after all, and she was getting tired of coming up empty-handed. Eyes closed, she tilted her face to the watercolor sky and waited. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears in perfect time with the pounding waves.

“Samantha,” he whispered into her ear. She stilled, and her mouth went dry. He was standing right behind her. How the hell did he get there? Where did he come from? Why couldn’t he stand right in front of her where she could actually see him? This was supposed to be her dream, her fantasy. Jeez. Can you say intimacy issues?

Sam jumped slightly and sucked in a sharp breath as large hands gently cupped her shoulders. She should open her eyes. She wanted to open her eyes, but the onslaught of sensations to her body and mind had her on overload. Samantha shuddered as he brushed his fingers lightly down her arms leaving bright trails of fire in their wake. He tangled his fingers in hers and pulled her back gently. Sam swallowed hard as his long muscular body pressed up against hers. He was tall, really tall. She sighed. If he looked half as good as he felt, she was in big trouble.

“It would seem that you’ve finally found me,” he murmured into her ear.

Sam nodded, unable to find her voice amid the rush of his. She licked her dry lips and mustered up some courage. It was a dream after all. Nothing to be afraid of. She could always wake up. But that’s what she was afraid of.

“Why don’t you ever let me see you?” she said in a much huskier tone than she’d intended. She pressed her body harder against his and relished the way his fingers felt entwined with hers.

He nuzzled her hair away from her neck and placed a warm kiss on the edge of her ear. “Come home,” he whispered. His tantalizing voice washed over her. He seemed to surround her completely. Body. Mind. Soul. Every single inch of her lit up like the Fourth of July.

“Please,” she said in a rush of air. Sam wrapped his arms around her waist and relished the feel of him. It was like being cradled in cashmere covered steel. Leaning into him, she rubbed her head gently against his arm. He moaned softly and held her tighter. The muscles in his chest rippled behind her, and his bicep flexed deliciously against her cheek. “I need to see you.”

Eyes still closed, she turned in his arms as he said softly “Samantha.”

***
Sam tumbled out of bed and landed on the floor with a thud. Breathing heavily and lying amid her tangled bedclothes, Sam stared at the bland white ceiling of her soon-to-be former apartment.

“Talk about a buzz kill,” she said to the empty room. “Typical. I can’t even get good sex in my dreams.” She puffed the hair from her face and pushed herself up to a sitting position. Sam grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and swore softly when she saw the time. She was going to be late. Crap.
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Meet Sara Humphreys!

Sara is a graduate of Marist College, with a B.A. Degree in English Literature & Theater. Her initial career path after college was as a professional actress. Some of her television credits include, “A&E Biography”, “Guiding Light”, “Another World”, “As the World Turns” and “Rescue Me”. For the past several years Sara has been a professional Public Speaker and Speaker Trainer. Her speaking career began with Monster’s “Making It Count” programs, speaking in High Schools and Colleges around the United States to thousands of students. For the past several years, Sara has worked with The College of Weschester in New York as the Director of High School and Community Relations.

She has been a lover of both the paranormal and romance novels for years. Her sci-fi/fantasy/romance obsession began years ago with the TV Series STAR TREK and an enormous crush on Captain Kirk. That sci-fi addiction soon evolved into the love of all types of fantasy/paranormal; vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and of course shape shifters. Sara lives in New York with her husband of 16 years, their 4 boys, 2 dogs and an extremely loud bird. Life is busy but never dull!

Contact Info
Website: www.sarahumphreys.com
Blog: Sara Taney Humphreys
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter

Want to purchase Sara’s novels?
The Amoveo Legend

1. Unleashed at Amazon | Book Depository
2. Untouched at Amazon | Book Depository (April 1, 2012)

The Amoveo Legacy at Amazon
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Contest Time!

Thank you Sara for taking the time to stop by Literary Escapism!

Contest Time! Sara is giving away two copies of Unleashed. To enter, all you have to do is answer this one question: What kind of dream related powers do you like? Can you think of more stories involving dream powers? Remember, you must answer the question in order to be entered. (US/Canada only )

Even though I’m not giving the additional entries any more, you can still help support the author by sharing their article, and this contest, on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, or anywhere you can. After all, the more people who are aware of this fabulous author ensures we get more fabulous stories.

The winner must post a review of the novel someplace. Whether it is on their own blog, Amazon, GoodReads, LibraryThing or wherever, it doesn’t matter. Just help get the word out.

The contest will stay open until October 25th at which time I’ll determine the winner with help from the snazzy new plug-in I have.

I have not been contacting winners, so you will need to check back to see if you’ve won.