Manuscripts Burn: Could You Be in the Presence of EEEvil? (Guest Post by Angela V. Cook, author of INTO A MILLION PIECES)

Welcome, blogketeers! Today we've got a very special treat for you, the author of INTO A MILLION PIECES, James Frey! Oops, I mean, Angela V. Cook. Angela has agreed to soothe my lingering fears that she may, in fact, be an unholy demon from the bowels of Hell. Make sure to stick around until the end for a giveaway from our mutual press, Red Adept Publishing.

About Angela V. Cook

Angela V. Cook lives a very unexciting, but never boring, life with her husband and two children just outside of Detroit. Like most writers, she’s been making up stories for as long as she can remember and can’t imagine a life that doesn’t involve creating worlds.

Angela loves to write novels for teens because it’s the best outlet for her sarcastic personality, immature sense of humor, and love of romantic firsts.

Prove to me that you're not really a succubus, Angela.

When I read what Stephen wanted this guest post to be about, I went through three stages of acceptance. First, there was the, oh-my-god-you’ve-got-to-be-freakin’-kidding-me stage. Then I thought, is this some sort of Red Adept hazing ritual? Stephen and I are pub sibs, after all, and he is sort of the class clown of the group. (I'm the what?!?!?!) Yep, definitely hazing. But then, somewhere in between taking the plastic wrapper off my Tombstone frozen pizza and tossing it in the oven (I’ll take my Mother of the Year Award now, thank you), I came to accept the challenge. I hummed the Rocky theme in my head and thought, I’m a writer, dammit! I can do this!

The only problem was, the more I tried to come up with evidence to prove I wasn’t a succubus, the more I realized I didn’t have any! In fact, there was only one logical conclusion: I just might be a succubus.

First, there’s the undeniable truth: my husband’s physical condition has deteriorated since marrying me. He was the perfect image of health and vigor before our vows, but soon after, things started going very, very wrong. Things like hair loss and the gaining of a few pounds could be attributed to the normal aging process, but his doctors could not explain why he was suffering from the same types of ailments that usually riddle men twice his age. Surely, there must something sinister going on. Why else would a man in his mid-thirties be told he had the back of seventy-year-old man? Something was causing his bones to weaken. It was almost as if the life was being sucked right out of him. *insert evil, maniacal laughter*

Exhibit number two: my children. Many a time, I have posted comments on Facebook about my children acting like devils. Could it be that they truly are demon spawn? I’m almost positive my son gains pleasure from seeing me so upset that blood vessels start popping out on my forehead, and like a child of Satan, I do believe he feeds off of my anger and displeasure and grows stronger from it.
Then there’s my daughter. As a toddler, she was cute and lovable, but now I see it was just a ploy to reel me in, to gain my trust. Things changed a few years ago when this sweet, little angel began to slowly transform into a relentless she-devil. My daughter has never spewed green vomit, and I don’t think her head has ever done a three sixty, but she has screamed so loud that animals outside howled and glass shattered (okay, so the glass shattered because she knocked her mirror over while screaming—tomato/tomahto).

I think the evidence proves that I just might be a succubus—maybe not one hundred percent like my main character in INTO A MILLION PIECES—but I think there definitely might be some succubus blood running through my veins.

About INTO A MILLION PIECES

Allison McKready is a succubus. So is her twin sister. But while Allison spends her summer break hiding in the library behind her Goth makeup, Jade fools around as often as she can. Allison can’t believe Jade would ignore their mother’s fatal example so recklessly, but concealing a cursed bloodline and its dangerous effects is far from Allison’s only problem. Mean girl Julie’s snob mob is determined to ruin her summer, and Aunt Sarah’s Bible thumping is getting louder. Only her new friend, Ren Fisher, offers safe haven from the chaos of her life.

When one of Jade’s risky dates leads to humiliation and sudden tragedy, Allison reels, and Ren catches her. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her fear that she’ll hurt him—or worse—in an unguarded moment. The choice is coming—love him or save him—but Allison might not live to make it. One way or another, the curse will have its due.