Location, Location, Location

 

Hello. My name is Jacqueline M. Battisti and I am the author of The Guardian of Bastet. I am a stay at home mother with young children who also writes when time and the children allow.

 

The Guardian of Bastet is set in Rochester, New York and it’s suburbs. Why? Because of the mundane reason that this is where I live and am inspired to write. Mount Hope Cemetery, was one location inspiration. Just to introduce you to it, here is a blurb from our very own Friends of Mount Hope website, “Dedicated in 1838 in Rochester NY, Mount Hope is America’s first municipal Victorian cemetery.

 

Set in a picturesque landscape shaped by retreating glaciers, the cemetery features 82 mausoleums, soaring Egyptian obelisks, winged angels of mercy, a Florentine cast-iron fountain, two stone chapels in Gothic Revival style, a Moorish gazebo, and infinitely varied tombstones marking 350,000 graves across 196 acres.”

 

 

This is where Susan B. Anthony, Amy Post  and Frederick Douglass are buried. It isn’t just a cemetery, though. It’s a place of art and history. And let’s not forget the ghost stories around here. Some consider Mount Hope the most haunted cemetery in New York State. Prior to it being built, the native Americans that lived near the area believed the grounds were haunted.  There are books published about “Haunted Rochester.” That you can find at most book stores and online. It was a great place for me to set the “demon conjuring.”  In the area that really is called the Devil’s Bowl!

 

 

There is one other location that I want to mention. A place that is almost a character in itself. In The Guardian of Bastet, Vincent lives in the “only castle in Rochester.” Well, his castle was inspired by Warner Castle, which sits right across from Mount Hope Cemetery. It has everything a castle could want, a guard tower, rolling lawns, a secret sunken garden, and of course, the castle. Here is a blurb from it’s official website, The Rochester Civic Garden Center “Horatio Gates Warner designed his home, Warner Castle, built in 1854, to resemble the ancestral castle of the Clan Douglas.  The Sunken Garden designed by famous landscape architect, Alling S. DeForest.”

Can’t you just imagine my dignified gentleman vampire, Vincent, lording it over everyone here in past centuries?

Or the meeting in the sunken gardens?

 

Even if your not a fan of Rochester yet, I hope I’ve peaked your interest enough to discover us, and all the great spooky stories that inspired The Guardian of Bastet and it’s characters.

The Guardian of Bastet Official Blurb:

Cat-shifter Trinity Morrigan-Caine has discovered a demon is killing supernaturals. Magically challenged, she has every intention of letting handsome Alpha werewolf Gordon Barnes handle it. But after a dying vampire gifts Trinity a mystical amulet, she is drawn into the fray as the legendary Guardian of Bastet, a warrior born when the need arises.

 

Though Trinity initially rejects the role, she warms to the idea when Gordon agrees to train her—and their passion for each other grows as he teaches her to embrace her animal instincts.

 

As she begins to accept her destiny and believe in her growing powers, Trinity realizes the danger is even closer to home than she ever imagined—and she and Gordon are going to have to face the demon in a fight to the death…

 

I am currently working on the sequel to the Guardian of Bastet. It was the reason I left a couple of loose ends in this one. I’m just as excited to see where Trinity’s escapades lead. I hope you are too after reading The Guardian of Bastet.

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Giveaway

Giveaways: 5 E-Copies of The Guardian of Bastet, 5 printed and signed copies of The Guardian of Bastet, 1 Gift Basket.
Basket Incl. Signed book, Rochester Coffee Mug, Wegmans Chocolate truffle coffee, Lindt Milk Chocolate and a pewter Bast Goddess Pendant.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Guardian of Bastet
Jacqueline Battisti

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
ISBN: 978-14268-9424-4
ASIN: B0088NH1Z8

Number of pages: 237
Word Count: 84,000

 

Amazon  Barnes & Noble
Carina Press.com   Harlequin.com
Audible.com

Book Description:

Cat-shifter Trinity Morrigan-Caine has discovered a demon is killing supernaturals. Magically challenged, she has every intention of letting handsome Alpha werewolf Gordon Barnes handle it. But after a dying vampire gifts Trinity a mystical amulet, she is drawn into the fray as the legendary Guardian of Bastet, a warrior born when the need arises.

Though Trinity initially rejects the role, she warms to the idea when Gordon agrees to train her—and their passion for each other grows as he teaches her to embrace her animal instincts.

As she begins to accept her destiny and believe in her growing powers, Trinity realizes the danger is even closer to home than she ever imagined—and she and Gordon are going to have to face the demon in a fight to the death…

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The Guardian of Bastet Short Excerpt:

 

Like a good girl, I try to say my prayers every morning. This morning was no exception.

“Goddess, it’s me, Trinity Morrigan-Caine. Could you please let me get through today without pissing off too many people or wanting to kill anyone? And would you please grant me patience for the idiots I meet and guidance to keep my mouth shut when they say something really freakin’ stupid? Thank you.”

Afterward, I felt better. Today was just one of those days. I slept through the alarm. My familiar, a longhaired Birman feline named Bronwyn, had to wake me up and there is nothing like being swatted in the face with a clawed paw first thing in the morning. I showered and then realized I had no clean work scrubs. Crap. I put on already worn scrubs which didn’t smell too bad. The only brightness of the morning was my cousin and roommate, Lily, had made a pot of coffee and saved me some before she left for work—and probably on time, of course.

Once again, I was late and I knew my boss was going to have kittens because of it. Okay, not literally, although the thought of that made me giggle aloud. No, I was the one who turned into a furry feline once a month. She was just a human pain in my ass.

I grabbed the travel mug and took a swig of the coffee I had heated up before leaving. I didn’t even care I burned my lips on the brew. I let out a deep sigh. Ah coffee, the elixir of gods and humans. There was just nothing better than the jolt of caffeine to wake up to. I drove to work whistling.

 

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About the Author:                           

Jacqueline Battisti was raised in Little Falls, New York where she met and married her high school sweetheart. They have two children and live near Rochester, New York where she is a stay at home mom and writer of the paranormal and urban fantasy of her vivid imagination.

Her first novel, The Guardian of Bastet, was published by Carina Press August 20, 2012. She is currently working on a sequel as well as a dystopian paranormal.

Her life has taken her from the trials and tribulations of working as an administrative assistant at various companies, back to college as an adult student, and then into the adventurous world of motherhood.

Jacqueline began writing seriously in 2007 after attempting NaNoWriMo for the first time. It was the first time she had disciplined herself to finish a novel. From there, her supportive critique group was formed and attended, and then she attended RT Booklovers Convention in 2009. Jacqueline attended their aspiring authors workshops and met with many talented writers who inspired her to continue writing.

Flash forward to today: Jacqueline has two children who are very outgoing and keep her on her toes. Cub Scouts, Daisy Scouts, play dates, school activities for the kids…then writing, reading current authors, following blogs, facebook, household chores, gardening and exhaustion for mom. Add in a new puppy, two furry feline children and fish and you have the craziness that is the Battisti household.

www.jacquelinebattisti.com

https://www.facebook.com/jacquelinebattisti.author

Twitter:@jmbattisti

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jacquelinebattisti