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The
Black Parade
The
Black Parade Series
Book
One
Kyoko M
Kyoko M
Genre: Urban
fantasy/Paranormal/Supernatural
ISBN: 1490911502
ASIN: B00E3HLHIK
Number of pages: 346
Word Count: 103,169
Cover Artist: Gunjan
Kumar
Book Description:
One
bullet is all it took to transform eighteen-year-old New Yorker
Jordan Amador into the last hope for souls of the dead. However, it
also transformed her into a cantankerous asocial waitress with a
drinking problem.
Jordan accidentally shot and killed a Seer: a person who can communicate with ghosts, angels, and demons. Worse still, she did so on the eve of her own awakening, making her the last Seer on Earth with no one to guide her. As penance, God gives her two years to help one hundred souls with unfinished business cross over from Earth to the afterlife or she will go to Hell. Just as she approaches the deadline, Jordan finds her hundredth soul: a smart-mouthed poltergeist named Michael whose ability to physically touch things makes him distinct from her usual encounters with the dead. However, the deeper she delves solving his sudden death, the more she realizes something sinister is on the horizon.
With time running short, Jordan stumbles across a plot that may unravel the fragile balance among Heaven, Hell, and Earth. Her life is plunged into chaos as she is hunted by demons that want to use her valuable Seer blood to bring about the end of the world and discovers that these creatures have a frightening connection to her family bloodline. Plus, the budding romance between Jordan and Michael makes it harder for them to let go of each other so he can become part of the eternal black parade.
Jordan accidentally shot and killed a Seer: a person who can communicate with ghosts, angels, and demons. Worse still, she did so on the eve of her own awakening, making her the last Seer on Earth with no one to guide her. As penance, God gives her two years to help one hundred souls with unfinished business cross over from Earth to the afterlife or she will go to Hell. Just as she approaches the deadline, Jordan finds her hundredth soul: a smart-mouthed poltergeist named Michael whose ability to physically touch things makes him distinct from her usual encounters with the dead. However, the deeper she delves solving his sudden death, the more she realizes something sinister is on the horizon.
With time running short, Jordan stumbles across a plot that may unravel the fragile balance among Heaven, Hell, and Earth. Her life is plunged into chaos as she is hunted by demons that want to use her valuable Seer blood to bring about the end of the world and discovers that these creatures have a frightening connection to her family bloodline. Plus, the budding romance between Jordan and Michael makes it harder for them to let go of each other so he can become part of the eternal black parade.
Short
Excerpt:
Crazed
teeth gnashed inches away from my face. The eyes rolled back until
only the whites showed. Spider-like fingers strained for my throat. I
screamed and ran towards the bedroom.
I
slammed the door shut and dove for the nightstand, hands shaking as I
checked the chambers to make sure the gun was loaded. The door flew
open with a bang. A second bang followed. Then all was silent.
The
phantom was gone, but in its place stood a man in a suit beneath his
dark grey duster. His hair was black and his face was growing paler
by the second. He reached out his hand. My panicked eyes spotted the
scarlet speckled across the palm. The room had gone silent because
the gun had deafened me. The barrel was still smoking and now I could
see the hole I had put through the man’s chest.
I
couldn’t breathe, but somehow I could still talk, and my lips were
whispering one word over and over.
“No,
no, no, no…”
The
man said nothing as he fell to his knees in front of me, his azure
eyes locked on mine as if he were trying to tell me something, but
the strength was ebbing from him in crimson rivulets. I dropped the
gun and fell to my knees as well. My fingertips grazed his face as if
I could bring him back to life with one touch, but we both knew it
was too late. He laid a rough, scarred hand to the side of my cheek
where hot tears had fallen, his lips parting to whisper in a soothing
voice.
“Don’t
be afraid. They’re going to come for you, but please don’t be
afraid.”
“I’m
sorry, I’m so sorry, please…” I managed to gasp out in between
sobs.
The
man merely smiled and closed his eyes. “Don’t be. I’m ready.”
He
swayed forward and I caught his heavy body, feeling his blood soak my
shirt. He slid down until his face rested in my lap, drawing in a few
more shallow breaths before going completely still, empty, lifeless.
I sat there with my coated hands stroking his hair, still whispering
over and over for him to forgive me.
Golden
light poured in from all angles, nearly blinding me, and I could just
barely see the outline of a man with wings.
When
the light dimmed, a blond man stood in front of me with white-gold
wings that stretched nearly from wall to wall of my small bedroom.
His tanned body was wrapped in white linen and his skin seemed to
possess an ethereal quality, glowing like he had some unique source
of inner radiance. Blue eyes like twin suns shone down on me with
kindness and empathy. A new feeling of shock and reverence gave me
enough strength to speak.
“W-Who
are you?”
“My
name is Gabriel. I am the archangel of the Lord God.” His voice had
an echo to it that seemed to soothe and agitate me at the same time.
The angel folded his wings into his back and knelt beside the dead
man in my lap. His fingers hovered over the wound the bullet had left
through the man’s back.
“As
I thought…he is dead.”
More
tears poured as I tried to explain. “I-I didn’t know it was him.
There was a monster chasing me. I got scared. I’m so sorry.”
Gabriel’s
face fell into that of a pitying expression. “You are human. It was
only natural for you to be afraid. However, the Father cannot
overlook what you have done. The man before you is a Seer—one of
the few humans in this world who can see angels, demons, and spirits.
He was hunting the demon you saw a moment ago.”
“Please,
I don’t want to die. I’ll do anything to make this better,” I
whispered, bowing to the angel.
He
touched the crown of my head in comfort. “There is something you
can do to make amends, my child. You must take his place.”
I
looked up in shock. “What?”
“You
are a Seer, Jordan. Your abilities had not awakened until just now.
That is why the demon was drawn to you. Your time to serve the Lord
is now. In order to pay for the crime of taking this man’s life,
you must help one hundred wandering souls cross from this world to
the next. If you do not finish this task two years from this day, I
am afraid your soul shall be sent to hell.”
“H-How?
How do I even know which people are spirits?” I stammered in
protest.
“The
dead have no feet to walk upon because they are no longer tied to the
Earth. Your task is to discover how they died and help them fulfill
their final wish. Do not fear, for I will teach you how to free their
souls. After this is done, the soul will go to the next world and I
will write down the name in the Book of Penance.”
He
held out his hand and a red leather book materialized, spelling out
my name in gold cursive across the front. It managed to be both
beautiful and macabre. Gabriel placed it by my side and carefully
rolled the man over onto his back. He plucked a feather from his
wings and pressed it over the man’s heart.
“Rest
in peace. The gates of Heaven are waiting.”
I
watched with wonderment as the feather dissipated into tiny flecks of
light and felt warmth as something nearly transparent rose from the
body. I realized with shock that it was the man’s soul. He hung in
the air between Gabriel and me for a moment before floating upward
and out of sight. His body faded seconds later, leaving only the
bloodstained clothes behind. My fingers closed over the grey duster,
which was still salvageable in comparison to the shirt and pants.
“I shall
be watching over you always, Jordan Amador...”
About
the Author:
Her
debut novel, The Black Parade, made it through the first round of
Amazon's 2013 Breakthrough Novel Contest. She participated and
completed the 2011 National Novel Writing Month competition. She has
a Bachelor of Arts in English Lit degree from the University of
Georgia, which gave her every valid excuse to devour book after book
with a concentration in Greek mythology and Christian mythology.
When
not working feverishly on a manuscript (or two), she can be found
buried under her Dashboard on Tumblr, or chatting with fellow nerds
on Twitter, or curled up with a good Harry Dresden novel on a warm
central Florida night. Like any author, she wants nothing more than
to contribute something great to the best profession in the world, no
matter how small.
Website:
http://www.shewhowritesmonsters.com
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/misskyokom
I'm about two diets Cokes away from finishing The Black Parade. I'm savoring the journey (and wishing the Amador and Michael would just go ahead and get it on).
ReplyDeleteI love your priorities. Truer words have never been spoken. Thanks for the comment! I hope you enjoy the ending.
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