Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Fifth Grave Past the Light Blog Tour


Today on my blog I have the Fifth Grave Past the Light tour. On my stop there is a spotlight, excerpt, character interview, and awesome giveaway.

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a Rebecca, two Hold Medallions, a RITA ®, and a Daphne du Maurier, and she has received stellar reviews from dozens of publications including starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and the Library Journal. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that tradition. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of almost 30 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com


Stalker Links:



Never underestimate the power of a woman
on a double espresso with a mocha latte chaser high.
—T-shirt
Charley Davidson isn’t your everyday, run-of-the-mill grim reaper.  She’s more of a paranormal private eye/grim reaper extraordinaire.  However, she gets sidetracked when the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, moves in next door. To further complicate matters, Reyes is her main suspect in an arson case.  Charley has vowed to stay away from him until she can find out the truth…but then dead women start appearing in her apartment, one after another, each lost, confused, and terrified beyond reason.  When it becomes apparent that her own sister, Gemma, is the serial killer’s next target Charley has no choice but to ask for Reyes’ help.  Arsonist or not, he’s the one man alive who could protect Gemma no matter who or what came at her. But he wants something in return. Charley. All of her, body and soul. And to keep her sister safe, it is a price she is willing to pay.
Charley Davidson is at it again in Fifth Grave Past the Light, the sexy, suspenseful, and laugh-out-loud funny fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling series by Darynda Jones.

Excerpt:
Ask me about life after death.
—T-shirt often seen on Charley Davidson,
    a grim reaper with questionable morals

The dead guy at the end of the bar kept trying to buy me a drink.
Which figured. No one else was even taking a second look and I’d
dressed to the nines. Or, at the very least, the eight- and- a-halves.
But the truly disturbing part of my evening was the fact that my
mark, one Mr. Marvin Tidwell, blond real estate broker and suspected
adulterer, actually turned down the drink I’d tried to buy
him.

Turned it down!

I felt violated.

I sat at the bar, sipping a margarita, lamenting the sad turn my life
had taken. Especially to night. This case was not going as planned.
Maybe I wasn’t Marv’s type. It happened. But I was oozing interest.
And I wore makeup. And I had cleavage. Even with all that going for
me, this investigation was firmly wedged between the cracks of no and
where. At least I could tell my client, aka Mrs. Marvin Tidwell, that it
would seem her husband was not cheating on her. Not randomly,
anyway. The fact that he could’ve been meeting someone in par tic ular
kept me glued to my barstool.

“C-come here often?”

I looked over at the dead guy. He’d finally worked up the courage
to approach and I got a better view of him. I figured him for the runt
of the litter. He wore round- rimmed glasses and a tattered baseball
cap that sat backwards on top of muddy brown hair. Add to that a
faded blue T-shirt and loosely ripped jeans and he could’ve been a
skater, a computer geek, or a backwoods moonshiner.

His cause of death was not immediately apparent. No stab wounds
or gaping holes. No missing limbs or tire tracks across his face. He
didn’t even look like a drug addict, so I couldn’t tell why he’d died at
such a young age. Taking into account the fact that his baby- faced
features would make him look younger than he probably was, I estimated
him to be somewhere around my age when he’d passed.

He stood waiting for an answer. I thought “Come here often?”
was rhetorical, but okay. Not wanting to be perceived as talking to
myself in a room full of people, I responded by lifting one shoulder
in a halfhearted shrug.

Sadly, I did. Come here often. This was my dad’s bar, and while I
never set up stings here for fear of someone I knew blowing my
cover, this just happened to be the very same bar Mr. Tidwell frequented.
At least if it came to a knockdown drag- out, I might have
some backup. I knew most of the regulars and all of the employees.

Dead Guy glanced toward the kitchen, seeming nervous before he
refocused on me. I glanced that way as well. Saw a door.

“Y-you’re very shiny,” he said, drawing my attention back to him.

He had a stutter. Few things were more adorable than a grown
man with boyish features and a stutter. I stirred my margarita and
pasted on a fake smile. I couldn’t talk to him in a room full of living,
breathing patrons. Especially when one was named Jessica Guinn, to
my utter mortification. I hadn’t seen her fiery red hair since high
school but there she sat, a few seats down from me, surrounded by a
group of chattering socialites who looked almost as fake as her boobs.
But that could be my bitterness rearing its ugly head.

Unfortunately, my forced smile only encouraged Dead Guy.

“Y-you are. You’re like the s-sun reflecting off the chrome bumper of
a f-fifty- seven Chevy.”

He splayed his fingers in the air to demonstrate, and my heart was
gone. Damn it. He was like all those lost puppies I tried to save as a
child to no avail because I had an evil stepmother who believed all
stray dogs were rabid and would try to rip out her jugular. A fact that
had nothing to do with my desire to bring them into the house.

“Yeah,” I said under my breath, doing my best ventriloquist impersonation,
“thanks.”

“I’m D-Duff ,” he said.

“I’m Charley.” I kept my hands wrapped around my drink lest he
decide we needed to shake. Not many things looked stranger to the
living world than a grown woman shaking air. You know those kids
with invisible friends? Well, I was one of those. Only I wasn’t a kid,
and my friends weren’t invisible. Not to me, anyway. And I could see
them because I’d been born the grim reaper, which was not as bad as
it sounded. I was basically a portal to heaven, and whenever someone
was stuck on Earth, having chosen not to cross over immediately after
death, they could cross to the other side through me. I was like a giant
bug light, only what I lured was already dead.

I pulled at my extra- tight sweater. “Is it just me, or is it really
warm in here?”

His baby blues shot toward the kitchen again. “Hot is m-more
like it. S-so, I— I couldn’t help but notice you t-tried to buy that guy
over there a drink.”

I let my fake smile go. Freed it like a captured bird. If it came back
to me, it would be mine. If not, it never was. “And?”

“You’re b-barking up the wrong tree with that one.”

Surprised, I put my drink down— the one I bought myself— and
leaned in a little closer. “He’s gay?”

Duff snorted. “N-no. But he’s been in here a lot lately. He l-likes
his women a little . . . l-looser.”

“Dude, how much sluttier can I get?” I indicated my attire with a
sweep of my hand.

“N-no, I mean, well, you’re a l-little—” He let his gaze travel the
length of me. “—t-tight.”

I gasped. “I look anal?”

He drew in a deep breath and tried again. “H-he only hits on
women who are more s-substantial than you.”

Oh, that wasn’t offensive at all. “I have depth. I’ve read Proust.
No, wait, that was Pooh. Winnie- the- Pooh. My bad.”

He shifted his non ex is tent weight, cleared his throat, and tried
again. “More v-voluptuous.”

“I have curves,” I said through a clenched jaw. “Have you seen
my ass?”

“Heavier!” he blurted out.

“I weigh— Oh, you mean he likes bigger women.”

“E-exactly, while I on the other hand—”

Duff ’s words faded into the background like elevator music. So
Marv liked big women. A new plan formed in the darkest, most corrupt
corners of Barbara. My brain.

Cookie, otherwise known as my receptionist during regular business
hours and my best friend 24/7, was perfect. She was large and in
charge. Or well, large and kind of bossy. I picked up my cell phone
and called her.

“This better be good,” she said.

“It is. I need your assistance.”

“I’m watching the first season of Prison Break.

“Cookie, you’re my assistant. I need assistance. With a case. You
know those things we take on to make money?”

Prison. Break. It’s about these brothers who—”

“I know what Prison Break is.”

“Then have you ever actually seen these boys? If you had, you
would not expect me to abandon them in their time of need. I think
there’s a shower scene coming up.”

“Do these brothers sign your paycheck?”

“No, but technically neither do you.”

Damn. She was right. It was much easier to just have her forge my
name.

“I need you to come flirt with my mark.”

“Oh, okay. I can do that.”

Nice. The F-word always worked with her. I filled her in and told
her the deal with Tidwell, then ordered her to hurry over.

“And dress sexy,” I said right before hanging up. But I regretted
the sexy part instantly. The last time I told Cookie to dress sexy for a
much- needed girls’ night out on the town, she wore a lace- up corset,
fishnet stockings, and a feather boa. She looked like a dominatrix. I’d
never been the same.

Buy Links:

Character Interview: Garrett

Hello Garrett, I am so excited to have you on the blog today.  I have some questions I would like to ask you, if you don’t mind.
Fire away.
1.       How would you describe yourself?
Smart enough to stay out of trouble. Most of the time. It’s not a 100% guarantee.
2.       What makes you unique?
Besides the fact that I can hunt down just about anyone on the planet, I have killer abs. I like to think those two things combined set me apart.
3.       What are your 3 greatest strengths?
My abs, my ability to hunt down bad guys, and my aim.
4.       What are your 3 greatest weaknesses?
Big trucks, imported beer, and women who are more trouble than they’re worth.
5.       Are you adopted?
I asked my parents that once. They said, “No, why do you ask?” I replied with, “Because I’m at least part African American and you two are as white as the driven snow.” They have yet to explain that one to me, but I’m going with yes.
6.       What do you find really grates on your nerves?
Reyes Farrow.
7.       Do you have any spiritual beliefs?
I didn’t until Reyes Farrow sent me to hell, which explains why he grates on my nerves, yes?
8.       If you could change anything about your appearance, what would it be?
It wouldn’t be my abs.
9.       What would be the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery?
Woo the girl I love and move to Italy with her.
10.   Are you in love with Charley?
I can tell you I’d move to Italy with her if I won the lottery. Does that answer your question? 


Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I would also like to Thank Darynda for letting me participate in this blog tour. Don't forget to enter the giveaway.
~Sabrina

32 comments:

  1. I really like the first book (and the second, the other books are not published yet in the Netherlands)... Thanks for the giveaway!

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  2. I loved the interview with Garrett Swopes! Fifth Grave is the best! Anyone who has not read it yet definitely should... Darynda Jones is an excellent author & I am looking forward to the next adventure she creates! :)

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  3. Ou! Thats one is difficult. I think the third one was the funniest, but the fifth one i just finished and it was awesome!

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  4. Great Interview~~~~
    Garrett seems to be a little fixated on his abs...but then again, so am I :)
    Darynda is like the creamer in my mandatory coffee in the am. LOVE her to pieces, almost as much as Reyes. Fifth Grave is by far my fave of the series!

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  5. Awesome interview. I love Swopes!!

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  6. The first one is my favorite but the third one was very funny!

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  7. *Swoon* Garrett is such a stud!! Great interview too! Garrett you are about 2 cup fulls of awesomesauce sprinkled with a dash or three of hotness. Darynda Jones you know how to create the BEST men.

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  8. Ohhhh Garret, you sexy piece of man candy.....at least in my imagination. If I wasn't already married I'd move to Italy with you. ;-)

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  9. I like Garrett and I'm a bit sorry of everything he has gone through. His personality changed a bit, but in this interview he seems to have a lighter heart, which is good. Even though short, this was a fun interview :)

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  10. Garrett!! Love his comments about his killer abs. Lol! Great character interview :-)

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  11. Awesome Interview...love Garrett...I'll go to Italy with him ;)

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  12. I don't think I could pick just one, probably the first and fifth. They are so fun and snarky. I just can't get enough. I have read them all several times and own them in audible versions as well.
    I just love all of the characters and seeing them evolve.

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  13. All of them, they just keep getting better

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  14. OH I love Grarett!!!! Os Swopes, I'll move to Italy with you! I'm officially wooed! <3

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  15. Love the Interview...Swopes, my bags are packed and ready to go!!!!!

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  16. Love the interview :) My favorite of the series so far has been fifth grave, but I really do love them all.

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  17. Awesome interview! I love me some Swopes!

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  18. Garrett is pretty ab-tastic! Loved the interview and he can take me to Italy anytime!

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  19. Loved the interview with Garrett, especially the last two questions/answers. :)
    Fifth Grave is by far my favorite of the series!

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  20. Excellent interview with Garrett. I hope he finds his own True Love

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  21. I loved all the books! Finding the first one was like finding a picasso as the flea market! I was entranced ~ I finished it in one day and then had to go buy all the others. Amazing characters!

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  22. ohhhh Garrett!!! I love you!!! and your abs!

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  23. LOVE Garret! I hope he finds an amazing woman!

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  24. Loved the interview with Swopes!!!

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  25. Thank you for the giveaway! Loved the interview! I have not read any of the books yet, but look forward to them someday! Also I just love how the cover fit perfectly with your blog here today! <3 Great post!

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  26. Who doesn't love Garrett and Giveaways..:)

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  27. I love this series...I all ready can't wait for the next

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  28. I love the first book the most, because it led me to all the other books. Okay, so they weren't written yet, but still.

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  29. That's a tough one but I go with book 4 becuase of the ending :)

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