“He was in charge, then you killed him.” Xan reminds me, speaking slowly and over-enunciating each word, as if I need reminding.
“Yes, Xan, I know that,” I reply in the same patronizing tone.
As my brain swims dizzying laps around what’s transpiring, I glance out at the crowd before Garan. Reluctantly, more and more people drop to their knees. Expressions still perplexed, they look as I feel.
The moment is surreal. Injured and standing before the people of Sinsity as, one by one, they hail Garan, I feel as though I’m existing in a dream. A dream where I am entangled in an intricate web. I believed Garan to be a nomadic rebel, bold and fearless and on the run because he didn’t believe in the divide between Urthmen and humans. But was that why he was running? The fact of the matter is I don’t know why he was running at all. Only that we helped him escape capture. Did we do the right thing when we interfered? If Garan plans to reclaim his place as the rightful ruler of Urth, where does that leave us? My temples pound as each new question pops into my mind. They hammer my brain incessantly, ending with one final thought: We took Garan into our group, defended him when he needed defending and fought alongside him, yet now, as I stand beside him, I wonder whether he’s our friend or our enemy?
About the Authors
Jennifer and Christopher Martucci hoped that their life plan had changed radically in early 2009. To date, the jury is still out. But late one night, in January of 2009, the stay-at-home mom of three girls under the age of six had just picked up the last doll from the playroom floor and placed it in a bin when her husband startled her by declaring, “We should write a book, together!” Wearied from a day of shuttling the children to and from school, preschool and Daisy Scouts, laundry, cooking and cleaning, Jennifer simply stared blankly at her husband of fifteen years. After all, the idea of writing a book had been an individual dream each of them had possessed for much of their young adult lives. Both had written separately in their teens and early twenties, but without much success. They would write a dozen chapters here and there only to find that either the plot would fall apart, or characters would lose their zest, or the story would just fall flat. Christopher had always preferred penning science-fiction stories filled with monsters and diabolical villains, while Jennifer had favored venting personal experiences or writing about romance. Inevitably though, frustration and day-to-day life had placed writing on the back burner and for several years, each had pursued alternate (paying) careers. But the dream had never died. And Christopher suggested that their dream ought to be removed from the back burner for further examination. When he proposed that they author a book together on that cold January night, Jennifer was hesitant to reject the idea outright. His proposal sparked a discussion, and the discussion lasted deep into the night. By morning, the idea for the Dark Creations series was born.
The Planet Urth series, The Demon Hunter series, the Vampire Extinction series, as well as the Arianna Rose series and the Dark Creations series are works that were written while Jennifer and Christopher continued about with their daily activities and raised their young children. They changed diapers, potty trained and went to story time at the local library between chapter outlines and served as room parents while fleshing out each section. Life simply continued.
As the storyline continues to evolve, so too does the Martucci collaboration. Lunches are still packed, noses are still wiped and time remains a rare and precious commodity in their household, but it is the sound of happy chaos that is the true background music of their writing. They hope that all enjoy reading their work as much as they enjoyed writing it.
Books by Jennifer and Christopher Martucci:
The Dark Creations Series (A YA paranormal romance series)
Dark Creations: Gabriel Rising (Part 1)
Dark Creations: Gabriel Rising (Part 2)
Dark Creations: Gabriel Rising (Part 1&2)
Dark Creations: Resurrection (Part 3)
Dark Creations: The Hunted (Part 4)
Dark Creations: Hell on Earth (Part 5)
Dark Creations: Dark Ending (Part 6)
The Arianna Rose Series (A paranormal romance series)
Arianna Rose (Part 1)
Arianna Rose: The Awakening (Part 2)
Arianna’s Awakening (Part 1 & 2)
Arianna Rose: The Gathering (Part 3)
Arianna Rose: The Arrival (Part 4)
Arianna Rose: The Gates of Hell (Part 5)
The Planet Urth series (A YA science-fiction/futuristic series)
Planet Urth: (Book 1)
Planet Urth: The Savage Lands (Book 2)
Planet Urth: The Underground City (Book 3)
Planet Urth: The Rise of Azlyn (Book 4)
Planet Urth: The Fate of Urth (Book 5)
Planet Urth: Extinction (Book 6)
Planet Urth: Remains of Urth (Book 7)
Planet Urth: The Black Forest (Book 8)
Planet Urth: Sin City (Book 9)
The Vampire Extinction Series (A paranormal romance/vampire series)
The Vampire Extinction: Greyson Undead (Book 1)
The Vampire Extinction: Alex Undead (book 2)
The Demon Hunter series
The Demon Hunter: Rise of the Hunter (Book 1)
The Demon Hunter: The Dark Once (Book 2)
The Demon Hunter: Hunter of the Damned (Book 3)
Oh, One Last Thing Before You Go…
When you turn the page, you may be given the opportunity to express your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter automatically. If you enjoyed our book, please take a second to click that button and let your friends know about it.
If they get something out of the book, they’ll be grateful to you, and we will be, too!
Thank you so much!
Love,
Jenny and Chris
Sin City Page 23