Is everyone in the mood for a giveaway?

The winners are:

Lexi H
Fiery Na
Marjolein van weers
John B
Qwill

Thank you everyone for throwing your name in the hat! Winners, please email me your postal addresses so I can pop signed copies in the mail!

Again, thank you everyone. I loved all the comments!

I have five extra copies of 'The Spell of Rosette' and to celebrate her latest print run I'm giving them away.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and your name will go into the hat. Tweet or Facebook a link back here (include the @kimfalconer twitter tag or Kim Falconer Facebook friend tag) and your name will go in five more times!

Below is an excerpt. Enjoy, and good luck! Winner announced Thursday midnight, on the new moon!

The Spell of Rosette pg 188 - 190

He drank the energy in. He drank her in. She could feel it! Her heart pounded and her breath came in ragged gasps. He pulled her to him before she could boost again and her wooden sword fell to the ground. His hands tightened around her wrists. Pressed against his neck, she could taste his salty skin. She didn’t know whose sweat dripped down her cheek, his or hers. The grip tightened further. She winced as her bangles dug into her flesh.

            ‘You’re not to boost with magic, Rosette,’ he whispered into the dampness of her hair. His lips moved slowly as the words formed against the curve of her ear.‘This is not practised in the arena. Not yet.’

            ‘You used it first!’ she said, tempted to bite. She let her teeth rest against his pulsing jugular. ‘I felt it.’

            ‘Did you?’

            Beneath the bravado, Rosette sensed the tiniest hint of surprise. Then she knew. He was shielding his mind, holding something from her. He had not expected her to feel his magic. This could give her an advantage.

            Too late. While she speculated, the Sword Master arched his back, lifted his arms and flipped her to the ground. As she hit, the air in her lungs rushed out and his knee came down hard on her hip. He pinned her arms above her head. 

            ‘Would you say that I have you now, Rosette de Santo, for the fourth time?’ An’ Lawrence dropped his face to her cheek, the roughness of his stubble brushing away the dust and sweat as he spoke.

            No, I would not! Rosette went for one last move. She let her entire body go limp as her lungs silently filled with air. He shifted the weight off her hip and she twisted like a cat inside its skin. Calling on a colossal boost of magic centred in her spine, she sent energy to her legs, tucking them to her belly, flipping over and pulling the Sword Master with her. Now his head was between her legs, his arms — for a millisecond — pressed into the powdery ground on either side of  her thighs. Not exactly the position she had in mind, but a small point none the less. She had him flat on his back  ‘Not quite yet.’ She could sense the stunned aura of the gathering. It would have been better if she had sensed his next move.

            His energy came from nowhere, no sign of a build-up, just total release. She was on her back in an instant with the Sword Master astride her hips, the weight of his pelvis against hers. He had her arms bound across her breasts and sweat fell from his forehead onto her throat.

Rosette, her familiar Drayco and her sword master.

            ‘You win, of course,’ she said as she shielded her mind. She started to gather energy like a tornado draws in the sky.

            A quizzical look came over his face for such a brief moment she wasn’t sure if it had been there at all. Suddenly he was on his feet, pulling her up from the ground.

            ‘That’ll do, Rosette. And well done. My imagination has been whetted, I’ll admit. Where did you learn those moves?’ he asked.

            ‘From . . . my brothers,’ she answered, catching herself before she talked of Maka’ra or Jarrod.

            ‘Brothers? Did they train at Bangeesh Temple?’

            Rosette stumbled. ‘They work on their own, mostly.’ She shielded her mind tighter. Not every sword

master had formal training in a temple or even belonged to a coven larger than one or two. It was plausible.

            ‘You’re lucky you had them.’ He smiled, taking in her bedraggled look. And where did you learn that magic? It’s not Nell’s, he asked telepathically.

            She didn’t reply.

            Rosette?

            She shrugged her shoulders. Here and there.

            He looked at her, his expression impenetrable. Indeed. ‘We’re done for the day. Go to the baths now, and see the healer.’

            ‘I’m fine.’ She glared at him, daring him to contradict her.

            An’ Lawrence shook his head from side to side. ‘You’re cut, bruised and bleeding. Do as I say, and please stop questioning my every direction; it’s getting tedious.’

            ‘Yes, Sword Master.’ Rosette gave him a brief bow then picked up her weapon, brushed the dust off the hilt and headed towards the baths. The crowd made way before her, whispering things she did not bother to hear. She lifted her head, her shoulders back, stilling her mind even as her legs quivered beneath her.  She just had to get to the baths without them giving out, then she could let go . . .

 * * * 

 Kim Falconer is a Supernatural Underground author writing epic science fantasy novels set in the worlds of Earth and Gaela. Kim’s latest series is Quantum Encryption.

You can find out more about her at kimfalconer.com or her blog The 11th House. She posts here on the 16th of every month. Her books are available worldwide with free shipping and sales help support the IS_Foundation.