Cold in California (The Twice-Baked Vampire Series) [Kindle Edition]

Deborah Riley-Magnus (Author)

Book Description

Twice-baked vampire, Gabriel Strickland, learns he has a chance at redemption when he’s whisked from his final demise into a purgatory secretly tucked in West Hollywood. Sixty creatures, including other dead vampires, pixies, a legendary Navaho stick man and bothersome leprechauns, struggle together to earn brownie points and wait out possible centuries of this purgatory. Gabriel receives dubious advice from the troll who runs the place, but there are always bugs in the pudding and he faces them all. Enter, the beautiful Dori Gallagher, who not only knocks Gabriel off his feet, but also an evil warlock who has designs on her. When menacing forces gather against Gabriel and everything he’s come to respect, it’s a fiery clash of the supernatural in one heroic effort to save his new reality.

Product Details

• File Size: 1486 KB
• Print Length: 215 pages
• Publisher: ireadiwrite Publishing; 1 edition (June 9, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0055EC7E8
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #796,455 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "..unlike any paranormal novel I have ever read." June 30, 2011

By FullMoonBites

Format:Kindle Edition

In this debut novel of Deborah Riley-Magnus's The Twice-Baked Vampire Series we meet Gabriel Strickland. A vampire who has just 'bit the dust' --so to speak-- and finds there is a lot more to death than what most think for a vampire or any supernatural.

Most people think that when vampires die they just go. . . .'poof'. Well, when all goes wrong Gabriel finds that is not the case and that he is in an in-between life with a chance to earn redemption and eventually be determined if he will go to Heaven or Hell.

This was a very interesting and unique take on not only vampires but the supernatural in general and the author pulls it off amazingly good. It is really unlike any paranormal novel I have ever read.

Now any book would not be set without a good love-interest and we get one with the name, Dori Gallagher. Dori works at an employment agency and meets Gabriel when he comes to find a job. It is love/lust at first sight.

And of course as with a good love-interest and solid hero our book would not be complete without the 'bad guy'. Our author gives him to us in the form of Nathan Cook, a warlock. There are lots of other characters in the book who contribute to the antagonist of this book though.

The book goes through a couple points of view--Gabriel's, Dori's, the bad guy(s)-- and again this was something I really liked about this book: It almost felt like a movie, you know how a movie goes from character to character getting all of the plot in but really smooth and interesting through the changes? That was how this felt to me.

It also left it open the same leaving us that last scene (chapter) that gives us a little insight and hints of might come in the next novel.

With any first novel though you do have those little glitches--which was mostly at the very starting of this book--that almost all first novels in a series have, which is why I could only give this book 4 stars.

I would highly, HIGHLY recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for something unique and different and loves a good paranormal book.

*I received an Ebook copy of this book for free to review from the author/publisher.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read - really enjoyed this book! June 24, 2011

By Cindy M.

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting, dramatic, funny, sweet, exciting... A page turner. I really don't enjoy the typical vampire story. This was so much more - very entertaining. A great book for vacation reading. Seriously, when will the next book in the series be ready?!?!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun and entertaining paranormal story with a twist June 18, 2011

By Nicki J

Format:Kindle Edition

I received this book as a review copy from the author and, to be honest, for the first few pages I didn't think it was my sort of book. But then I suddenly found myself sucked in and loving every minute of the story.
I think my initial difficulty was because the book is rather different in its approach and its rules for the supernatural world than anything I've read before. Once I was used to things, I was able to enjoy it.
I loved Gabriel's character and I thought he came across really well as the flawed hero. Dori was also great, even though I kept thinking of fish whenever I read her name.
One of the things I loved best about this book was the blend of action, love story and humour. The author has managed to create a story which feels real and exciting but which can also laugh at itself from time to time.
The story is left nicely at the end - most things tied up, but still a few loose ends - to make way for the next book in the series and I for one will be keen to read on!

I would recommend this for paranormal fans who are looking for a fun twist on the usual mythology.

More About the Author

Deborah Riley-Magnus is an author and an Author Success Coach. She has a twenty-seven year professional background in marketing, advertising and public relations as a writer for print, television and radio. She is the author of "Finding Author Success: Discovering and Uncovering the Marketing Power within your Manuscript".

As an Author Success Coach she focuses exclusively on publicity, marketing and promotional solutions for authors. She teaches live and online Author Success Workshops and has spoken at many writers groups and conferences in both states of California and Pennsylvania. She also coaches authors, one-on-one to help them create marketing strategies and learn techniques for sales success.

Deborah produces several pieces weekly for various blogs and websites including her industry blog, "Deborah Riley-Magnus, Writeaholic", where she passes on value added nuggets of wisdom and skills for authors struggling to understand marketing, promotions and publicity techniques. She is a published author of both fiction and non-fiction.

"Cold in California", book one of The Twice-Baked Vampire Series was released in July, 2011. Her non-fiction, Finding Author Success: Discovering and Uncovering the Marketing Power Within Your Manuscript was release in November, 2011. Her second fiction, Monkey Jump, book two of The Twice-Baked Vampire Series was released in May, 2012 release.

She belongs to several writing and professional organizations and is a member of the WriteSex Blog Group as the marketing, promotions and publicity expert. She serves as the Marketing Director for Assent Publishing where she is also an Acquisitions Editor for womens fiction, and romance. She can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she has lived on both the east and west coast of the United States and has traveled the country widely.