First and foremost, The Kure is a love story, and yes, it fits nicely into the popular genre of paranormal romance—typically full of passionate vampires, confused werewolves, and wary but curious women who eventually opt for a little sack time with the irresistible undead.
The Kure was originally intended as a short story, to be included in a collection of similar genre tales, but the main characters—John and Sarah—wouldn’t leave me alone. And after several nights of their constant badgering about new characters, evolving relationships and a surprising supernatural twist, they convinced me that there was a lot more story to tell.
Because The Kure would be the first book in the series, I wanted to create a solid foundation for the sequels. I also wanted to tell a story with more conventional origins, with a setting and characters based on some degree of historical accuracy—in other words, a story that could have actually happened. This meant establishing a historical basis for the origin of some of the more evil and sinister characters who, while of minor importance in the first book, will return as major influences in book two—The Karetakers. I found that touchstone in the significant undercurrent of mysticism practiced in the South during the mid-nineteenth century. From the subtleties of foot and horse soldiers carrying a talisman into battle to southern officers consulting with supposed warlocks and seventh sons before making tactical decisions, the practice of witchcraft and a belief in the supernatural was more than a myth.
That glimpse into the mindset of an alternative minority – the same group of people who would have believed in demonic-based healing—provided a fertile backdrop to discretely introduce the influence of druidic red magic, a theme that will have an expanded impact on the characters and their actions in the next installment of the story.
Here’s a brief synopsis:
John Tyler, a young man in his early twenties, awakens to find a ghastly affliction taking over his body. When the village doctor offers the conventional, and potentially disfiguring, treatment as the only cure, John tenaciously convinces the doctor to reveal an alternative remedy—a forbidden ritual contained within an ancient manuscript called the Kure.
Although initially rejecting the vile and sinister rite, John realizes, too late, that the ritual is more than a faded promise scrawled on a page of crumbling paper. And as cure quickly becomes curse, the demonic text unleashes a dark power that drives him to consider the unthinkable—a depraved and wicked act requiring the corruption of an innocent soul.
Ultimately, John must choose between his desperate need to arrest the plague that is destroying his body, and the virtue of the woman he loves, knowing the wrong decision could cost him his life.
An excerpt from “The Kure”:
The sudden bottom of his fall came without shock or impact, and for nearly a minute, John remained still, wondering if he had finally found the realm of the unconscious. But it seemed unlikely—his senses were too keen, his mind still inexplicably aware. Pit or prison, he was somewhere, floating and adrift without footing or direction, alone in a murky darkness.
Staring into the fine-spun blackness, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the inky pitch. But after what seemed like several minutes, there was no change. He reached out, groping in all directions, searching for the boundaries of what he could only imagine to be some kind of underground chamber. But his hands found only empty space.
He tried to turn, to look behind. But without substance, without something solid to bear his weight, his arms and legs thrashed against the darkness, leaving him as helpless as if bound with heavy chain.
“Where am I?” He said it out loud, relieved that his voice had returned. But a lack of response made John wonder if his question had fallen on deaf ears, or had simply been swallowed by the suffocating mask of obscurity.
Railing against sudden panic, he flailed at the lightless gloom, kicking and punching at what he could not see. But his struggle was futile, and he choked back a cry, aching for the reassurance of a rough-hewn planked floor, or the uneven climb of a rocky outcropping.
This isn’t real, none of this is happening. Soon I’ll wake up, and be back with Sarah.
He clung to the thought, wanting to believe his predicament was simply a deception, this unfamiliar place a destination within a dream. Yet it was unlike any hazy dreamscape he could remember.
Cast into a sea of darkness, with no sense of up or down, his mind was besieged with images of shunned outcasts, desperate souls banished into dismal exile without hope of reprieve or escape. Was that to be his fate? He cautioned himself to keep his wits close, that logic would serve him better than panic. But as hard as he tried, he could not reason away the pure fear that tugged at him from the pitch black of an endless night.
Hours had passed—he was sure of it. Yet there was no indication that time had any meaning in this forgotten prison. He remembered his watch and tried to flex his fingers, to reach for its golden tether. But lack of movement had numbed his hands, turning them into useless fists of clay. Testing the limits of the creeping paralysis confirmed the incapacity of his limbs, and he told himself it was a symptom of simple fatigue. But with every wearisome attempt to move an arm or leg, he felt himself sinking deeper into the caliginous cavern—a place he feared was quickly becoming both coffin and grave.
Deprived of sight and sound, he began to question his own senses. He struggled with the possibility of blindness, concerned that his vision had been impaired or even lost in the fall. Maybe it’s bright as day, with an exit—an escape—waiting just a few feet away.
Instinctively, he ran a finger over each eyelid, as if the oppressive pall could be scraped away like some scaly growth. The irritation forced him to blink, and in that instant, he saw something. He blinked again, unsure if the pinpoint flash was really there, or if it was just his imagination.
In moments, he was rewarded with another distant spark. Although it was little more than the wink of a star, to John it was a sudden beacon, the first break in the darkness since his plunge into this unwelcome pit.
Fixing his gaze on an absent horizon, he waited, hoping he had found a marker, a passageway out of this netherworld of persistent night.
It was nearly a minute before the illumination returned, and although it still originated from a great distance, it now covered a much larger area, spreading and soft, the way incandescent clouds warn of a storm’s impending advance.
For a limited time, read “The Kure” for only $.99 (kindle version):
I always spend the last few days of December reviewing my writing plan for the coming year—to determine what’s going to receive priority and how I will budget my time to make sure I get it done. During one of those planning sessions, I noticed my husband was also putting a few goals together for the new year. When I asked him to tell me about his “resolutions,” he said that one of them was to read more, especially books that fall outside his favorite genres, “just to see what else is out there.” We began to talk about how many more people are now reading books of all kinds, primarily due to increased availability and choice of low-cost eBooks for the kindle and nook. I often see comments from readers who decided to try a particular author’s work because it was ninety-nine cents, or in some cases, free. Then my husband asked an interesting question: “Why don’t you offer some kind of promotion to encourage more people to read The Kure, with the idea that they’ll be more inclined to read the book if you temporarily lower the price?” I really had to think about this one, but after realizing it might motivate a few more folks who are not familiar with The Kure to take a look, I decided to do it. I’m calling it “Resolve To Read”, and it’s going on right now. The kindle version of The Kure can be purchased for ninety-nine cents on Amazon. So if you were planning on buying a kindle version anyway, why not take advantage of the “Resolve To Read” promotion and save two bucks?
Jaye Frances was born in the Midwest and grew up surrounded by traditional values and conservative attitudes (which she quickly discarded). She readily admits that her life’s destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all things irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking, traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of pictures—many of which wind up on her website. She lives on the central gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes.
For more information about The Kure and Jaye please visit: Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook
The Kure can be purchased through: Amazon Paperback | Amazon Kindle | Barnes and Noble
As a bonus, you can earn one additional entry by doing any or all of the following: tweet about the giveaway, like Jaye's Facebook page, subscribe to Jaye's blog, or add the book to your Goodreads to-read list. Just note in your comment what you did!
Contest ends February 10th, 2012. International entries welcome.
Please leave your email address (name AT domain DOT com). One entry per household.
