'Tween You and Me

Monday, August 18, 2008

'Tween Heaven and Hell Wins the Dream Realm Award!!!!

It's official! 'Tween Heaven and Hell is the winner of the 2007 Dream Realm Award for Fantasy!!!!

Yay!!!!!

To view all award winners, visit 2007 Dream Realm Awards.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

I'm excited to announce that 'Tween Heaven and Hell is a finalist for the 2007 Dream Realm Awards! Yay! Cross all your digits for me! Final judging is going on now.

"With action on every page and enough sexual tension to ignite the pages, ‘Tween Heaven and Hell will catapult Sam Cheever to the top of your must buy list." Ecataromance.com

Astra Q Phelps is a Tweener, which means she’s part angel and part devil. She vaporizes devils and demons for a living. When Astra gets the call from the big Him to aid the good side in a battle between two rival devil courts, she finds herself battling not only the forces of evil, but her own nature, as she rubs up against the sexiest, most infuriatingly enticing devil prince, and discovers he brings out her devil in the most delicious ways.

But Astra’s problems don’t end with a worrying jolt to her sexual nervous system, she is also discovering that she doesn’t really know herself all that well as she begins to uncover magic powers that she didn’t know she possessed. She’s also learning that she might be entangled in a prophesy which links her to her delicious devil prince in more ways than one. Add to this spicy mix a few yummy secrets she learns about her long time partner and friend, Emo, and you have a tantalizing stew of problems to solve, and only one small Tweener to unravel them all.

To read an excerpt visit: www.samcheever.com

Sam

Monday, June 2, 2008

'Tween a Devil and His Hard Place gets great reviews!

This morning I opened up my email and saw two reviews for 'Tween a Devil and His Hard Place. With sweaty palms I opened them up and discovered to my delight that both reviews gave the book top ratings and one even gave it a Recommended Read. Life is Beautiful!!!!

Fallen Angel Reviews gave 'Tween a Devil and His Hard Place five Angels and a Recommend Read: "I am thoroughly enjoying this series. ‘Tween a Devil and His Hard Place by Sam Cheever is the second book in this delightful, irreverent, and humorous series. This title can be read stand alone but I don’t recommend it. You don’t want to miss the set up and action from the first story that this book builds on. Ms. Cheever has a wonderful and creative cast of characters in her stories that will charm you and keep you guessing, because it seems it is difficult to tell just who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. I love Ms. Cheever’s wicked sense of humor in this series and I have to wonder if she may be a tweener too, as there is a definite sense of devilment to her story telling. I highly recommend reading ‘Tween a Devil and His Hard Place and I am anxiously awaiting book three to see what happens next in Astra’s life."

Enchanting Reviews gave 'Tween a Devil and His Hard Place 5 enchantments: "Ms. Cheever does it again! She brings the cast of the first book back, and in what style does she do it! I was enthralled, gobbled up in magic as I read through this one. In some places, it almost flashed before my eyes like a movie; so much Ms. Cheever paints vivid pictures with her words and captures the action.

And I believe there is another one coming in his series. Ms. Cheever, I can hardly wait!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Angel City Bugler Reporter Interviews Astra Q Phelps

Astra Q Phelps recently did an interview for the Angel City Bugler, during which she gives readers some wonderful insights into how she got her start as a kick-butt demon slayer and all around tough Tweener.

Hello Astra, thank you for joining us today, we love your books and were hoping we could get to know you a little bit.

Hey! How’s it going? You got anything here that needs to be blown up or vanquished?

Uh, well, no, not really. I have an ex-husband… But no, forget I said that. I just wanted to chat with you for a few minutes.

You don’t want me to save the world?

Um, no, not right at this moment.

Oh good. Okay.

So, Astra, you certainly lead an exciting life. Vanquishing demons, fighting off devilishly handsome Royal Devil Princes, and saving the world, how does one get into this line of work?

One has to be born a Tweener, with a powerful Seraphim for a father and an equally powerful Royal Devil with witch powers as a mother. It’s not an easy gig you know.

I can imagine. Can you tell us what exactly a Tweener is?

Are you kidding me? Do you live in a cave? (shakes head) Tweeners are half angel and half devil. We’re a warrior race that helps the Big Guy out in the epic battle between good and evil. (shrugs) I thought everybody knew that.

Impressive. So how long have you been doing this? Vanquishing demons I mean?

Well, I vanquished my first one when I was five I think. He tried to steal my little red bucket in the sandbox. I loved that bucket. I’d have done anything to keep it.

You, um, (clears throat) you killed a demon for stealing a bucket?

Well yes and no. He tried to eat my sister, Darma too, but it was the bucket that really set me off.

I um, I see. Well, so you figured out you were good at vanquishing demons when you were five and decided that might be a good way to make a living?

Absolutely not! I mean, yeah, I was good at it. But saving the world is so hard…and exhausting. I probably would have just gotten a job throwing rowdy schmoes out of extra-terra nightclubs if it hadn’t been for that stupid prophesy.

Prophesy?

Yeah, the one that has me working with the great Unifer, that’s Devil Prince Dialle we think…we’re not absolutely sure at this point...to save the world.

Wow!

(Nods head) Yeah, wow! Except the world doesn’t stay saved. I can’t tell you how many meals and how much sleep I’ve missed over the last several months trying to keep this stupid world saved. It’s become a full time job.

(Reporter leers) Yes, but there are perks aren’t there. I mean, you get to lock lips with the gorgeous Dialle on a regular basis.

Oh yeah. I mean, he’s really yummy, and impossible to resist let me tell you…but there’s so much to do when saving the world, there just isn’t all that much time for extra-curricular activities if you know what I mean.

But I understand you manage, somehow.

(Astra grins) Yeah, we manage. Somehow.

So, what’s it like? Hanging out with the magical crowd? Are they nice?

(Astra snorts) Nice? Lady, what planet are you from? No really, what planet?

(Reporter shrugs) My ancestors came from Venus.

(Astra nods) That explains a lot. None of them are Nice. Even the angels have an agenda. They’re good, yes, but rarely nice. Demons are just plain skuzzy, with their pretty masks that fool humans every time, and you don’t want to get yourself in a room with a lot of them when the temperatures are very high…

Dangerous huh?

What? No, they smell like last week’s steak on the windowsill. And then there are the Royals…well, they’re beautiful and everything, but they’re just like sexy walking uber-agendas, you know. And their plans are never good for yours truly or the human race. (Astra sighs) My social circle just fizzes with conflict, intrigue, and dangerous agendas.

Well, you certainly have a difficult job.

Tell me about it.

But what’s this I hear about you going to the Big House to visit the Big Guy in ‘Tween a Devil and His Hard Place?

Cool place. All light and airy and stuff. He needed to fill me in on something…I’m still not sure what…talk about agendas… Something about getting my father back. He was at the right hand of God before he fell you know.

Your father? Really?

Yup. Took over the celestial army when Michael retired. The Big Guy needs him to help keep the humans safe against a really big plot to take over control of the dark world and humankind. The demons are in an uproar and the rumor is that the Angel City witch coven is pulling the strings behind the uprising. And to make things even worse, somebody from the Big House is involved and helping the witches. A dark angel with some power apparently. Some think it’s my father.

But you don’t believe it I’m sure.

Not for a minute. But the sticker is I’ve got to prove it. No easy task while saving the world.

So what’s on your plate for the next book. Are you saving the world again?

Of course. In the third book of the series, the ratio between magic and non-magic is being altered by the dropping of a veil of twisted magic. Humans can’t survive under the veil and as it descends they get increasingly crazy and start attacking everything in sight. I of course have to find the cause and put everything right again. Meanwhile, I’ve been marked by the Serpent as one of the conduits…

Serpent? Conduits?

(Astra smiles) I guess you’ll just have to read the book.

Sounds fascinating, I can’t wait. I want to thank you for visiting with me today, Astra. It’s been very…ah…illuminating.

Yeah, sure. Hey, you haven’t seen a really small dragon running around here have you?

(Reporter picks up her feet) A dragon? Why no, did you lose one?

(Astra shrugs) Maybe. Oh well, I’ll just follow the char marks…

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Ode to Mothers - I never said I was a GOOD poet!

Ode to mothers that you might be,
Happy as a frog in pee,
On this your very special day,
When all the kids go out to play,
And nary of the tasks that call,
Will bother you this day at all.

Ode to mothers that you may,
Be left alone to plan your day,
And wonder aimlessly should that be right,
To let your thoughts and dreams take flight,
And nary of the obligations call,
To interfere at all at all.

Ode to mothers that you could,
Forget the things you know you should,
But really just would rather not,
Like cleaning house and wiping snot,
So don't you think of chores at all,
Let dad, for once, perform them all.

Ode to mothers one and all,
That we might spend a time so small,
Just doing what we want to do,
And letting all else sit and stew,
So we will make the most of it,
And take the time to sit, sit, sit.

Enjoy your day Ladies!

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'Tween Scene Spotlight

In this scene from 'Tween a Devil and His Hard Place, Astra is having a recurring dream/nightmare, that has prophetic overtones. It seems to be telling her there is trouble ahead for her and Dialle and their growing relationship.

* * * * *

I was in the woods again, under a fat moon. The clouds were skittering across the face of it at an accelerated rate, as if they were agitated. In fact the general feeling of the place was one of dark anticipation.

Part of me wanted to stop walking. To turn around and leave the wood. But another part of me needed to face whatever was coming so that I had a better chance of beating it back.

I reached the place where the trees thinned into nothing and stood there, just at the edge, feeling my heart pounding in my chest at an incredible rate. The air around me pulsed with the deep base of my heartbeats.

Ba boom, ba boom, ba boom, ba boom…

The reverberation grew until it became the thunderous sound of hundreds of witches chanting and I suddenly knew with a clarity that came from true vision, what I would see when I entered that clearing.

It was all I could do to step through the last line of trees.

The crowd of witches was pressed tightly together, swaying with the rhythm of their chants. They were faceless, formless, creatures of the night. Purveyors of an evil so profound that it couldn’t bear a human face.

They stood shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip in that small clearing, filling it completely. From the altar in the center to the black line of dense trees at the clearing’s edge, the space was filled to absolute capacity.

Somehow, however, a pathway opened for me and I walked through the crowd unimpeded, without being touched by any of the dark celebrants.

When the last line of witches parted for me and I could see the altar I was not surprised to see myself on it.

But I wasn’t alone.

I was naked, on my back and entwined in obvious pleasure around a long, lean golden body with silky black hair that fell in soft curls and waves around a darkly whiskered face which was nuzzling my neck and therefore hidden from my view.

Though I couldn’t see the velvet of his black gaze or the finely chiseled planes of his well-formed face, I felt as if I knew that long, golden form like I knew myself.

We writhed and moaned upon that altar, our passion obvious to all who watched. I smiled at the sight and silently celebrated its passage through the pages of prophecy.

I saw movement above the altar and looked up to find nearly transparent forms of silver floating above our heads. The Angels’ gentle heads were bowed as if they were in pain and their hands clutched, clawlike, at the shimmery gowns of angelic fashion, which danced softly in a frantic wind created by the dark purpose.

I recognized many of the angelic faces, thought of calling out to them in greeting, but the trail of silver liquid down their nearly transparent faces stopped me.

Angel’s tears.

Shed only for the most catastrophic of events.

I covered my mouth in horror and my gaze flew back to that altar, where my prophetic lover and I cried out in unison and arched into the violent culmination of our mating.

I watched as tears ran from my eyes to splash against the hard, cold stone of the altar beneath our still writhing bodies.

Almost immediately my partner on the altar started to thrash violently. He folded into a fetal ball and screamed in apparent agony.

Around us the celebrants increased the tempo and tenor of their chanting, pressing closer as my lover’s skin withered and dried away and his cries died to nothing.

Until he was a silent skeleton across my naked legs.

I screamed. Both from the altar and in my prophetic dream and reached out for him. But one voice, stronger than the rest and more powerful, called out to me.

“Do not touch him, Astra!”

The command in the voice was unmistakable. I looked up to where the leader of the black celebration stood high above the rest.

Her robes covered her from head to toe and a single lock of auburn hair fell from the front of the hood and rested across her breast in a soft curl. Her arms had been upraised in supplication to the dark purpose but she lowered them now and reached to push back her hood.

My Aunt Deirdre’s face emerged from the dark, rough cloth.

I gasped and tried to run to her, meaning to send her to Hell for her murderous actions.

But her voice rang out in that silent clearing and I stopped. Something made me look around and I discovered that I was alone in the clearing. Except, of course, for the woman who now stood in royal robes at the center, with one gentle moonbeam illuminating her form but not her face.

“You killed him!” My voice was filled with tears and it made me angry. Tears were a weakness I could not afford.

My aunt shook her head and raised her hands toward me. I saw again the teardrop mark on her wrist. “I have not killed him Astra you have.”

I gasped and murder filled my heart. “You lie!”

She shook her head, sending the reddish black strands swinging gently around her narrow shoulders. “No, I do not lie. You have killed him with your lust but you are not to blame.”

I tried to get to her, intending to vanquish her for good. But every time I moved she moved somehow too, though not appearing to.

“Damn you to Hell, then who is to blame! Tell me whom I must vanquish!”

My aunt’s form stood silent and motionless for long enough that I began to wonder if she had turned to stone. Finally though the moonbeam fell across her features and revealed them to me.

She wore my mother’s face.

Journal Entry 2043 - Astra

I met Dialle's dad today. It was a singularly informative experience.

Daddy Dialle did everything he could to keep my Dialle on his toes and off balance and that included coming on to me in a big way and offering to make me his Queen. He was in the middle of "interviewing" a few dozen possible Queens but, with self professed sexual ADD, he was having trouble concentrating on any one of them long enough to memorize her full name.

When King Daddy sent Dialle from the room with a simple thought and pinned me to the couch with lustful intent, I thought I was gonna have to call out the big guns.

But fortunately I was able to extract myself long enough to enlist Dialle's shifting expertise and we got the Hades out of there Tout de suite, with the King bellowing threats behind us.
I'm not sure I like Dialle enough to put up with his family. I've got enough challenges in my life without having to save myself from being molested by my father in law every time I clap eyes on him.

I'm just sayin'.

Journal Entry 2007 - Dialle

I had to present Astra to the King today. It was really no big deal except my father didn't seem to like her much and, in the end, I had to rescue her from his wrath. Being a devil of very shallow and intermittent tastes, the King has trouble enjoying a woman with a mind of her own and a smart mouth.

Anybody who has spent 5 minutes with Astra would realize that putting her in the same room with my father would be like firing a lightening bolt into a storage tank of explosive mist.

They combusted in an unhappy way.

So I had to save her ass once again.

She's very lucky to have me.

Goodbye to a Friend

Howie, my boy, right now I'm sure you're comfortably ensconced on that big hill under a spreading shade tree in Heaven, waiting for us to join you. I certainly can't say I begrudge you your new home, you deserve it. If Heaven is what I think it is you'll find lots of raccoons and deer to pester, and no one will constantly wag a finger at you and tell you that you're too fat or too cranky, or too rough with the little dogs. In your new home you'll be able to be outside as much as you want and it won't be too hot or too cold. You won't shed and you won't have to deal with that dang arthritis in your leg. But I'm sure you'll miss your babies, and they'll miss you too. They'll miss the way you made your girly noises at them and threw yourself to the ground so they could climb on you. They'll miss the way you used to hit them with a squeaky toy to try to entice them to play. They'll miss your sweet kisses.

As for your human family. We'll certainly miss your incredible beauty, your hard won moments of affection, your determined guarding of our home. We'll miss the way you greeted us so happily every time we returned home, and the way you stood as a proud sentinel over our precious piece of the world. We'll miss your beautiful golden eyes, so full of expression, and yes, even your cranky times, when it seemed you just wanted us all to leave you alone.

We have lost much with your passing. You died much to soon. But we'll try to concentrate on what you've gained and be happy for you. Now you have a new job. Your venue has changed, but we would still ask that you continue to watch over us and keep us safe. And save us a warm spot next to the tree, for when we finally come to join you.

Goodbye, Howie. We love you.

'Tween You and Me

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Tween Heaven and Hell

Tween a Devil and His Hard Place

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