Buried Under Books: Destined by Jenna Pizzi Blog Hop!!!

Title: Destined (The Destined Series)

Author: Jenna Pizzi

Genre: YA/NA Paranormal Romance

Destined (the Destined Series) YA/NA Paranormal Romance about Angels and Demons.

Lilly has always been plagued by dreams; she dreams of another place and time, a place of pure beauty and light that suddenly erupts into fire and destruction. Then, there is a man with the haunting blue eyes that seem to look right through her very soul. In one fateful afternoon Lilly learns that the dreams are more real than she could’ve ever imagined. They are a link to who she really is; the Gatekeeper to the realms. Born from both light and dark, with her memories bound, she learns that it is her destiny to gather the relics of the flower of life. Lilly must do this in order to close the gates before the under realm destroys them all, but there are those who will stop at nothing to keep her from fulfilling her destiny. There are those who will try to sway her into the dark. She is torn between the love of two brothers; one, her loyal warrior, who has loved her since the beginning, and the other with the enthralling blue eyes that speak to her soul. One brother fights for the light, while the other fell into the darkness. Will she choose the brother that her soul longs for, or the brother that her heart calls out to?

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Jenna settled into America's hometown where she proudly calls home with her family. She is an avid book reader and collector with an entire room dedicated to her passion. At the age of twelve years old Jenna began writing, determined to be just like Stephen King or Dean Koontz.
For her it all starts with the flick of an image. From there a story is born. Being an eternal romantic, Jenna is a true believer in happy endings. It's the rest of the story that anything is possible. Writing is her passion. It is something that helps her unwind at the end of the day. She likes to tell stories that will pull at your heartstrings, or simply whisk you away even for just a little while. So grab your favorite blanket, and a hot cup of coffee and settle in for the ride.

Samil ran his fingers through Lilly’s hair. They were sitting in front of the fireplace.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this, for just a moment alone with you again.” He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. She felt a tingle on her hand. She thought she was just caught up in the moment. Samil noticed her palm glowing blue and backed up. “No, not already, you just got here.”

She looked down and noticed what he was talking about. The palm of her hand that the compass had branded was glowing blue. She jumped up in shock and started shaking her hand.

“What’s happening? Why is it doing that?” She asked him.

Samil stood and grabbed her hand.

“Don’t be afraid. It means it is time. It will lead you to the first relic. I thought we’d be able to have more time together.”

Lilly couldn’t stop herself; she grabbed him and kissed him.

“If this ends up being our last moment alone together, then I just need to feel you, here in the flesh.”

Samil looked at her questioningly.

“Are you sure, Lilly? It will only complicate things even more.”

“I have never been so sure of anything.”

He lowered her down in front of the roaring fire. She smiled up at him. He noticed the way the fire reflected in her eyes. He swept the hair to the side and lowered his lips to her neck and tenderly kissed her. Lilly trembled at his touch. He ran his hands down the length of her body. Just his simple touch made her moan in pleasure and anticipation. When his lips brushed hers, she lost herself to him.

The door to the room blew open. Usha stormed in. Samil broke his hold on Lilly as Usha hurled a statue at them. Samil pulled Lilly to her feet and stood in front of her to block Usha from her outburst.

“What do you think you are doing, Usha? This is my chamber and you do not come barging in here.”

She strode over to them until she was only feet away.

“I will do whatever I want. I am the princess. How dare you have your hands all over her? I can smell her on you. It makes me sick.” She started spinning around staring at the ceiling. “I don’t know why you don’t get it, Samil; you can never be with her. Ugh! I am so sick of everyone buckling down to this stupid girl. She’s nothing.” She ran her fingers down the front of Samil’s chest. “She won’t touch you the way I can. She can’t offer you a whole kingdom like I can. So what is the appeal of some little insipid half breed? She doesn’t even belong anywhere. She’ll be dead in the end anyway. Caleb won’t die for her this time.”

Samil could feel Lilly flinch at the last sentence. She didn’t understand what it had meant. Usha sensed her shock because she laughed.

“Oh my goodness, no one told you. How delicious. One of you lives and one of you dies, Lilly. One of you must choose but only one walks away.”

Lilly couldn’t contain herself.

“I don’t understand.”

Usha laughed.

“Of course not, that’s why you are stupid. One of you must die in order to seal the gate. Somehow you have always convinced Caleb to do it, this time he won’t allow himself to be near you until it is time for the choice. He will be claimed dark and kill you to seal it. Oh this is just tasty. No one bothered to even tell her about this. I’m glad I got the privilege.” She was gloating in her little victory when Seth appeared in the doorway. Tangela stood by his side.

“Samil,” Seth yelled out. “I should have known you’d lead a council member astray. How could you do this?”

Samil closed his eyes and Lilly could feel his hand squeeze hers.

“Go Lilly, go with Seth. I will see you when I can.” He covered her palm with a red velvet napkin so no one would see that it was glowing blue. Seth lunged at Samil and the two fell to the floor. Lilly could see Usha pull a sharp object from her leg and she jumped toward Lilly. Tangela rushed between Usha and Lilly and blocked the knife. She punched Usha square in her chest. She fell backward and grabbed her chest.

“You bitch, I will kill you,” she screamed at Tangela.

“Bring it, bitch. I’ll see you on the battlefield.” Tangela laughed.

Tangela grabbed Seth and rushed them out the door. Lilly didn’t want to stay, but she didn’t want to leave Samil. She wanted to find a way to be with him again. She looked behind her as she left the room. His hair was all disheveled and his eyes gave way to his sorrow. Seth pushed her through the door, grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her out the door. She watched it close behind her.

They ran down a series of long hallways. Tangela led the way and Lilly and Seth followed. Seth stood behind her to make sure no one grabbed her. She could hear Usha scream at the top of her lungs. She was calling her minions to find and attack them. Seth pushed Lilly even faster, but she was barefoot and wearing a thin dress.

They rounded a corner to the next hallway when Tangela stopped short. There were five minions blocking their way. They were all smiling with their jagged teeth. They seemed larger than the ones she had come across out in Plymouth. One of them took a step forward and swung at Tangela. She got slammed against the wall. He laughed as she curled into a ball in pain. Seth jumped in front of Lilly and pulled a sword off of the wall. He pitched forward and slit the minion’s chest open. The minion crumpled to the floor in shock. Seth rushed forward to fight off another one. Lilly ran to Tangela’s side and helped her up. Someone grabbed her from behind and lifted her off of the ground. She screamed and it got Seth’s attention. He ran back to her and stabbed the minion. The minion dropped her, and she fell to the ground. Seth lifted the sword and swung. He took the minion’s head clear off of its shoulders. Tangela saw Lilly’s hand and grabbed hold of it as she yelled for her to run.

“Run, Lilly. We need to get you out of here. Let Seth fight them. It is what he was trained for.”

Lilly followed behind her and they ran up a staircase and down another long dark hallway. Tangela stopped in front of a large steel door. She opened it and pushed her through. Lilly found herself back in the tunnels. This one was different from the ones that lead to Maidstone. She didn’t like the way it felt so she ran as fast as her feet would take her. She could feel something around her. She could hear laughing, but she couldn’t see anything. She felt something scratching at her arms. She flinched and kept running. Something was taunting her. She neared the end of the tunnel and she could see a dim light ahead of her.

As she reached for the door, she felt a burning sensation across her stomach. She grabbed her stomach and kicked open the door. She made it to the other side and collapsed on the ground. Keith and Amy rushed to her side.

“Oh Lilly, you’re bleeding all over the place,” Amy cried out.

Lilly looked down at the dress, it was slit open across her stomach. She could feel a sticky liquid but because the dress was so red, she couldn’t tell how bad it really was. Keith ripped off his coat and wrapped it around her.

Tangela ran through the realm door. She saw Lilly on the ground and Lilly could see the concerned look on her face. She ripped pieces of her shirt and held it to her stomach to try to stop the bleeding.

“I hope Seth’s close behind, this isn’t good. We have to get her help.”

Keith picked her up in his arms.

“Forget about Seth then, we have to get her help now. Just tell us where to go.”

Tangela looked torn.

“I can’t heal this. This needs special attention. Seth won’t know why we weren’t here, but you cannot get her the help she needs unless one of us is with you.” She thought about it.

Lilly could feel her world turning black. She was getting sick of passing out. She couldn’t even count how many times she nearly died in the last few days. Tangela ushered them to the end of the alleyway. Just as they were rounding the corner to Court Street they heard Seth call out to wait. He saw how badly Lilly was wounded and had a look of panic on his face.

“We need to get her help now.”

He led them to a boutique on Court Street named Laughing Moon Boutique. To the outsiders and tourists it looked like a new age store, but to the other world it was a place of healing. It was after hours so Tangela knocked hard on the door. Her knock seemed to be a sort of code. The door crept open and a woman’s head popped out.

“Yes! Can I help you?”

Tangela spoke in a different language and the woman quickly opened the door and rushed them inside. Once they were in, the woman bolted the door and lowered a brass bar across it. She led them into a back room and down a flight of stairs. She pointed to a cot and told Keith to place Lilly on it. Lilly could hear talking and then the pain took over. She was sweating and couldn’t stop writhing in pain. Amy kept wiping her forehead and Lilly could see her crying.

The woman spoke to Tangela.

“What did this? Do you know? How long ago did it happen?”

Tangela immediately answered her.

“It was the Akki-Oni, the dark spirits in the Hyvania tunnels. We were almost through when they struck out and scratched her.”

The woman, whose name was Batya, quickly rushed about her room grabbing different herbs. She mixed Skull Cap, Mugwort, Perilla and Feverfew. She turned it into a paste and rubbed it on the claw marks. Lilly could immediately feel the burning stop. She lit a candle made of Mullein. She told them it was to ward off evil spirits. She crushed berries of a Pokeweed plant and held Lilly’s head up and forced her to drink it.

“I’m sorry for this, Lilly. This will not be pretty, but if it does its job you will vomit out all the toxins from the Akki-Oni’s toxin.”

Within seconds of swallowing Lilly felt nauseous. Like a true friend, Amy held her hair as Lilly retched into a trash barrel. Keith sat by her side and kept a damp cloth on her forehead. She honestly didn’t think she was going make it. She had never experienced that level of pain. She wasn’t sure if she had any fight left in her. Her mind wondered, what is the point? When she felt there was nothing more to throw up, she closed her eyes. That was all she remembered of that night.

1. Which writers inspire you?

Claire Cook, Nora Roberts, Mary Higgins Clark, just to name a few.

2. What have you written? (*Include books, novellas, short stories, poems, blogs, awards, or anything of interest*)

The Long Road Home, Destined, Sweet Serendipity, and my short Addicted (which is going to be a full novel now) and Possessing Bailey a short story in the upcoming anthology Dark Light 3 with Crushing Hearts Black Butterfly Publishing.

3. Give us some insight into the main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

Lilly is the main character. She is born from both Angel and Demon, Light and Dark. Because of her uniqueness it is her destiny to save the realms and keep the balance between light and dark.

4. What are you working on right now?

I just completed my next romance titled “Chance Encounters.” I also am working on Destined part II. I have another suspenseful romance in the works, and also one more paranormal romance.

5. What genre are your books?

My books are all romance. They range from contemporary romance, to YA, to suspense/thriller. The themes are all romance though. I am a romantic at heart and love a good love story.

6. What draws you to this genre?

It honestly depends upon the mood I am in or the music that strikes me at the time.

7. Have you written any other novels in collaboration with any other authors?

I have discussed a few ideas with my good friend and fellow author LP Dover. You can be sure to see a few projects with the two of us in the near future.

8. When did you decide to become an author?

Since before I could remember. But, it wasn’t until 3 years ago that I actually believed in myself enough to put word to paper and share what I had to say.

9. Why do you write?

Truthfully, I write to heal. Every book is my own form of therapy. I have had many tragedies that I have had to overcome, or life situations that become overwhelming at times...so I write. It helps me to move forward, and process everything.

10. Do you have a special time you write or how is your day structured?

I find that the afternoon is a great time. I have a chance to wake from the fog of the morning, before the rush of the evening.

11. Where do your ideas come from?

My ideas come from my life. For Destined, when I wrote it there was nothing on TV that I wanted to watch, so I created something. I’ve always loved Angels and where there is good there is evil, so I played off of that.

12. What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?

The ending!!!!! I know what I want it to be, but for some reason I can’t quite word it the way I see it.

13. What is the easiest thing about writing?

It just flows. I can hit the pause button and go back at any given time and pick up where I left off. I love writing this way because sometimes the story goes in a completely different direction than I envisioned it would

14. How long on average does it take you to write a book?

A few months. Sometimes less.

15. Do you ever get writer’s block?

Yes! not so much a block as a distraction. I have the visions and dialogue in my head ALL the time..... it’s a matter of sitting down to write it out.

16. How many more books do you plan to be in this series?

There will be three and a few novellas to coincide with the characters and history.

17. What project are you working on now?

Part Two of Destined, Chance Encounters, and an untitled romantic suspense

18. Who designs your book covers?

Regina Wamba of Mae I Design. I adore her to pieces!

19. How are you published (*i.e. indie, traditional, or both) and why?

I am an indie. I like to set the tone, time, and dates. Someday perhaps I will go traditional if I am lucky enough, but for now I am happy being an Indie

20. What would you say are the main advantages/disadvantages about being self-published/traditional publishing?

Self published Indies is hard work. Finding ways to spread your name and novels is very time consuming. Having a publisher behind you to help pave the way......would definitely be worthwhile.

21. How do you market your books?

I make promo items that I hand out. I post on social networks.

22. How did you choose this route?

Technology is incredible. There is a wealth of information available at your fingertips to help anyone learn about anything that they need. The self satisfaction of knowing that everything that I have done to date, I have done on my own, or under the advice of some other amazing Indie authors.....there is an amazing network of people out there.

23. Do you have any advice for other authors taking the same route as you?

Write because it’s what you love to do. Don’t do it thinking you’ll be the next big thing..... do it because you have a story to tell. It’s hard work, but when you hear back from your readers that they absolutely loved your story......it makes it all worth it.

24. What are your views on social networking for marketing? Which worked best for you?

I use every venue possible. It is crucial for an Indie.

25. Did you make any marketing mistakes or is there anything you would avoid in the future?

Lol!!! Not yet....but I’m still learning. fingers crossed!!!!

26. Where can you see yourself in 5 years time?

Hopefully with my own boutique on some harbor where I can write full time and make jewelry.

27. What advice would you give to your younger self?

DO IT! Don’t listen to the naysayers..... it is possible to make your dreams come true, but only if you take that first step.

28. How can readers discover more about you?

I am always open to chatting on FB or through my website.

Website:www.jennapizzi.com

Blog:www.jennapizzi.com