Title Riftsiders: Unlawful Possession Author Paul A. DeStefano Genre Paranormal Romance Publisher The Wild Rose Press Book Blurb
Enrique Marin wants a quiet life after the death of his wife. Just one problem stands in the way—he's possessed by the misanthropic English demon, Tzazin. A violent night under demonic influence accidentally leads Enrique to love, and it's anything but quiet. Shy, autistic yoga instructor Elle thought allowing herself to be possessed by the very-not-shy sex demon Key would help her find love. She finds Enrique, but she didn't count on coping with the anti-demon bigotry of society. Fate—and AA meetings for the possessed—brings them together, but hostile forces, demonic and human, fight to keep them apart. It might cost them everything to keep their love alive.
Watch the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhsbIKSp2cs
Excerpt
“Tell us a little about yours,” Dante said and took a slow sip of his coffee.
Enrique slumped backward in the seat, looking to the ceiling with a chuckle.
“Yes,” taunted the lilting British accent only Enrique heard. “Do tell about me.”
“Tzazin,” Enrique said, staring into his coffee. “My demon is Tzazin Auropolus. I call him Taz. He, well, he’s kind of like me in that sometimes he just doesn’t know when to shut up. When I look at my reflection, I can see him. Always following me just behind my shoulder. Glass reflection doesn’t always work. Sometimes it does, and he insists it’s due to how natural or man-made the material is. The science of the other side doesn’t always make sense to me.”
“Now tell them how startlingly handsome I am,” Taz whispered.
“He looks like a man with gray sandpaper skin. And his eyes are this weird sickly off-yellow.”
“That’s not even slightly flattering,” Taz complained.
“But he’s got some sort of knowledge tap. It’s like having a running connection to an internet search engine.”
“I’m an archivist, you human nimrod. Show some respect.”
“Oh, he’s telling me right now I should tell you he’s an archivist.”
“And when Taz pilots?” Dante asked.
“When Taz pilots, I blackout. And end up in jail. I was told I can be out on probation if I come here to learn to control him.”
“You make that sound so one-sided,” Taz said with a snicker. “Whose fingerprints were there? Certainly not mine.”
Enrique set his jaw and placed his coffee cup on the floor.
“Yo, ain’t no one told me we got a newbie.”
Enrique turned to see a young girl with dreadlocks step into the room biting into an apple and letting the juice flow down her chin.
“Enrique, the rude teen girl is my niece, Yesania,” Dante said with a slight smile and a gesture. “You bring enough for everyone?”
“You got your doughnuts,” Yesania pointed. “But the star pitcher on the softball team has to keep in shape. Not poisoning my body with more of that shit than I have to. Oh, sorry for the language, Father. No offense. Hey, Elle.”
Elle looked up and brushed her long hair aside, smiling with a wave.
“None taken,” Ebbs said, reaching for another doughnut. “Especially since that means more for us who know what good food is.”
Yesania pulled out a chair, and it screeched across the floor. She sat directly in front of Enrique, throwing her hoodie to the ground and pushing dreadlocks from her face. She leaned forward and stared into Enrique’s eyes. “Go ahead. Show me who you got.”
“Yesania,” Dante said, putting his hand on her shoulder to ease her away.
“No, Unc,” she snapped, shrugging him off. “Show and tell. You ain’t here for some small-time imp. Show me.”
“You don’t want that.” Enrique slid his chair back.
“She wants it,” Taz said, clearly with a grin Enrique felt in the back of his mind.
“She doesn’t want that,” Enrique said.
“You show me yours; I’ll show you mine,” Yesania said in a teasing schoolgirl voice. “Lookie.”
Yesania held out her palm and blew across it as if blowing flower petals from her hand. The room filled with the smell of lilacs. A sparkling yellow dust scattered from her empty hand and hung in the air in a vaguely feminine shape that bowed politely.
“Meet Cali,” Yesania announced.
Enrique reached his hand out, curious. The sparkling dust extended what would be a hand and settled on his. It felt mildly electric and warm.
“Caliosandra,” the dust shape whispered in introduction, appearing to grow less dense.
Yesania panted and watched the dust form fall, shimmering specks vanishing before touching the floor.
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Author Biography
Paul A. DeStefano and his wife live on Long Island, NY, with a strange menagerie that includes a dog, a few cats, sugar gliders, a hedgehog, a bearded dragon, various fish, and several grown children that have not left.
After graduating Hofstra University with a split degree of English and Acting, he worked in the boardgaming and roleplaying industry for decades, including officially licensed projects for Star Trek and Lord of the Rings. He did not win the Origins Award for Best Miniatures Rules in 2004 and has totally forgotten that bitter defeat. When not actually playing and working on games, he is sometimes found touring internationally, giving lectures on worldbuilding and character design.
Being a professional full-time blacksmith for several years made him realize how much less painful it was to go back to writing. He’s been lucky enough to hold the Top Humor Writer badge at Medium multiple times, and has had his work narrated by James Cosmo (Lord Mormont from Game of Thrones) on multimillion dollar Kickstarter projects.
It is also worth noting that having never taken any lessons in bassoon, he still cannot play one.
Social Media Links
Twitter @TDIPaulD
Facebook: Paul D’s Tainted Dragon Inn
Instagram: TaintedDragonInn