COFFIN HOP! EXCERPT AND GIVE-A-WAY ~SPOOKY STUFF KIDS~

The Coffin Hop Horror Web Tour (October 24-31, 2011)

The Coffin Hop

Horror Web Tour

October 24-31, 2011


What better month than October for horror writers to crawl out of their coffins and spread the Halloween spirit!


Are you interested in winning great horror fiction and Halloween goodies the week of October 24-31, 2011? 


Click on the links below to participating authors' websites. Each author has a contest to enter on their site. 


Over 80 chances to win! 

the gory details:

1) HAVE A SPOOKY FUN TIME!

2) INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND SPREAD THE WORD!

3) THIS TOUR STARTS: Monday, October 24, 2011 at Midnight (PST)
    THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, October 31, 2011 at Midnight (PST)
    Winners will be drawn and posted November 1, 2011

4) MEET AND MINGLE WITH THE AUTHORS! EXPERIENCE A NEW DESTINATION AT EVERY STOP! PARTICIPATE IN EVERY SITE'S CONTEST AND BE ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN MULTIPLE PRIZES! EVERY BLOG VISITED IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WIN!

5) PARTICIPATION AT ALL SITES IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. THE MORE SITES YOU HOP, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES.

6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE A SPOOKY FUN TIME?

***Authors have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this tour is subject to these rules***

It is Give-A-Way Thursday! Yay! So today there are two places you can enter to win a free copy of The Demon Side. Obviously this blog being #1 . How to enter on my blog is listed below. #2 being, Katie Harper's Blog http://katieharperwrites.blogspot.com  where she has posted a review of The Demon Side and later today will be posting an interview with yours truly. To enter on Katie's site, the rules are simple. Leave a comment and if you really want some points follow her blog as well. Okay enough raffle talk. Let's get to the coffin hop!

For today's hop, I chose a scene from The Demon Side, that I had a lot of fun writing. In this scene we follow Rahovart through hell as he makes his way to the boss man Lucifer,  to find out why he has been deemed nonviable.  

The blackness swirled around me like a dust devil, flames rose at my feet, and I was on my way. I should have done this the moment Etta walked through the door of that house. I had to put her out of mind. I had to save myself. I materialized before the first set of Iron Gates. I slowly walked toward them, expecting the first two guards to give me resistance when I commanded them to open. They gave me none. As the gates slowly lifted, I became overwhelmed with the smell of rotting corpses, brimstone, and burning flesh. Just beyond the gates lay the real entrance into Hell, a stone and dirt labyrinth filled with distorted and deformed souls trying to find their way to the intake room. It’s widely believed there are more souls in the countless tunnels than in Purgatory; it was a Purgatory all in itself. Lucifer’s idea of a test. Only the loyal, faithful, and strong could find their way. If your heart knew true darkness then it would be a short journey, but the lost could spend centuries aimlessly wondering around.

Since I became deemed expendable, my abilities no longer worked here. I would have to travel on foot, and I knew the way well. Lucifer always had a good laugh when I would take my relaxing midnight strolls through Hell, surveying every possible security risk or battle strategy the walls held, including its labyrinth.
I swatted the wisps of souls like mosquitoes out of my face as I made my way down the left tunnel. It wasn’t long before I came to the landing above the inner city, a giant hole larger than any of Earth’s metropolises—the true realm of Hell.

Lava flows and pools of liquid iron ignited gas vents, sending flames shooting upwards of two hundred feet, sometimes more, throughout the city streets. I’d forgotten the intensity of the heat here. Looking down thirty stories, I watched as millions of Demons below enjoyed their daily routines of fighting, raping, and stealing from one another.

Illuminating the skyline towered Devil’s Peak, a large, active underground volcanic mountain range. Inside its base was another series of corridors that adjoined thirteen caverns. The last of those caverns would be the throne room where I would find Lucifer. First, I would have to make it through the sea of rejects below. I readied my hand on the grip of my sword as thousands of eyes made notice of me. Most didn’t know who I was but the ones who recognized me watched my every movement closely as I walked down through the entrance of the city.

My feet crushed the corpses of weaker Demons as I marched through the city. Shoving my way through the crowded streets made me angry. Before my banishment, the whole city would drop to their knees, bowing their heads when I entered. Now I had half-breed bastards begging me for scraps of food, street mongers trying to peddle their poorly made crafts, and Succubae throwing themselves at me to distract me from their pimp trying to steal my shield and sword. Grabbing the failed thief by his neck, I slammed him down on the street. I rested the tip of my blade on his throat when I heard someone call out, “Rahovart the Heir has returned! The Heir has returned!”

Everything quieted around me. The city came to a complete stop and everyone stared in wonderment as they parted a path for me. If I wasn’t expected before, I definitely would be now. I sheathed my sword and swiftly made my way to the entrance of Devil’s Peak. Again, the guards stepped aside and opened the gates without question. The corridor to the first cavern was a short one. I stepped into the first cavern, the intake room. I was taken aback a bit when I entered. Usually the place would be packed with souls looking for acceptance into the fold.

Today it was empty. The lack of hustle and bustle throughout the caverns gave way to the beautiful gold inlaid stone carvings of famous battle scenes and falls of infamous demons—including me—which decorated the walls of the thirteen main
caverns. Each scene flickered in the light of the lava seeping through cracks, giving them an animated appearance. The rough jagged rock walls in the corridors that connected each cavern prevented any enemy surge from charging the throne room. In my Demon skin, I found them to be perfect for scratching the spots on your back that you just can’t seem to reach.

No nostalgia or comfort came from finally being home. It didn’t feel like “home” at all. I felt out of place, uneasy. As I made my way through the twelfth cavern, I couldn’t help but wonder if Master and Alastor were in the throne room laughing at me now. With me gone, Alastor was sure to take my spot by Lucifer’s side. Lucifer needed someone to do his bidding, thanks to the treaty God made him sign to never engage mere Angels and Demons in battle.

Carefully making my way down the last narrow corridor to the throne room, I took a deep breath. I stopped and studied the scene of Lucifer’s fall from grace and consequent rise to power stamped on his enormous arched golden doors.On the other side, I was sure he would be there, waiting. What would I say? What would happen? My fate rested on these questions. I could only hope that there had been a mistake made by someone other than me, and if not, once I reminded of my unfaltering loyalty to him, he would lift his damning judgment.

I flung open the doors and marched passed the guards standing at attention between each of the thirty marble pillars that held up the volcano’s ceiling. At the end of the room was a large wide staircase. At the top of the stairs, a bored Lucifer leaned back with one leg over the arm of his oversized, bejeweled, golden throne in front of a liquid iron waterfall, waiting for me.

I hope you enjoyed my excerpt for this coffin hop! Have a great day and don't forget to click follow!