As the star quarterback for his high school football team and local celebrity in the quaint town of Boulder City, Luke Jacob enjoys a charmed life.
Welcome to the April 25th stop on the blog tour for The Darkest Light by Vicki-Ann Bush with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, more guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
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Author Guest Post
Here’s my Spotify Playlist for The Darkest Light
What’s on it?
1. My Life, by Imagine Dragons – Although we see Mary after her father reveals to her who she really is, this song gnawed at me because I imagined the same thoughts running through her head. Feeling shattered.
2. Running Up That Hill, by Placebo – When Luke finds out it’s Mary who has the biggest role in the prophecy and how dangerous it is, he wants to be the one to take her place. He struggles with the real possibility she could die.
3. The Loneliest, by Måneskin – This reminds me of Luke and Mary right before she’s taken. Knowing the impending separation and making the most of the time together, however brief. And being together but also feeling each other’s absence before it happens.
4. Paint It, Black, by the Rolling Stones – This song is Araqiel through and through. It’s more the music than the words that struck me.
5. Sympathy for the Devil, by The Rolling Stones – This is Lucifer. No matter what he looks like, this song always comes to mind for me.
6. The Weight of the World, by The Editors – This is Luke witnessing the change in his friends after not seeing them for several months as they work on their skills for battle.
7. Unforgettable, by Godsmack – Mary when she’s changing. The demon in her rises to the surface and the human in her is pushed back.
8. Everybody’s Changing, by Keane – This is Luke knowing he, Mary and his friends, will be facing a challenge that literally has the future of the human in their hands. And Luke wishing he could go back to life before learning the truth about their origin. Back to being just human.
9. Seventeen, by Sharon Van Etten – This is Mary after she meets her mother for the first time. Knowing all the time lost and now she’s forced to grow up fast and yearns for the usual teen years of mother and daughter.
10. Losing My Religion, by BELLSAINT – This is a representation of all the teens. Believing a story they were told all their lives only to find out—they are the story.
11. Jesus He Knows Me, by Ghost – This is less about one character and more about the bible. The contradictions, the use of the words to accommodate our behavior and excuses made in the name of christianity.
12. We Don’t need Another Hero, by Ghost – Cassandra, Luke’s mom, doesn’t want him to go. She feels he’s better at home where she can keep him safe. But she knows her children and others on Ramona Lane, are the ones who will fight the demons in the impending war.
13. Used To Be Young, by Miley Cyrus – Luke, after being on the road and separated from his friends and family. He’s leaving behind his childhood and accepting the responsibility of his truth and the power that comes with that truth. His carefree teen years are in the past and he has a life far removed from what he thought his future plans would be.
About the Book
The Darkest Light
by Vicki-Ann Bush
Published 27 February 2024
Creative James Media
Genre: YA Paranormal
Page Count: 226
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
As the star quarterback for his high school football team and local celebrity in the quaint town of Boulder City, Luke Jacob enjoys a charmed life. Everything’s going according to plan, that is until the night he spots a mysterious and alluring girl in the crowd. Despite his father’s cryptic warning to keep away from her, he’s instantly drawn to Mary.
The team plans a gathering to celebrate their homecoming win, and Luke decides to invite her. The evening turns dark when the demon Abezethibou appears and threatens them. When Mary steps in to save her peers, Luke sees her for what she truly is, forever changing their future and creating a bond between them.
The revelation shatters what Luke believes about himself and forces him to face his destiny.
Will Mary stand by Luke in the face of the coming storm, or will she be swayed by the allure of darkness?
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Excerpt
The ground beneath them succumbed to the warmth of the midday heat drinking up the moisture and, with it, their relief from the rising humidity. Luke didn’t mind, he’d withstand any
inferno just to be close to Mary.
The teens shared earbuds and listened to some songs from Imagine Dragons. He turned his head from Mary to gaze up. He had never felt the kind of connection he did with her.
His eyes traveled back to the curves of her lean body. She was unaware of the beauty that she possessed. Living with the type of father Araqiel was, Luke was in awe of her ability to see things with such clarity. The angels gave her an impossible scenario and
she accepted it. She had doubt, but also courage. Her eyes were closed, and he could faintly hear the words of the song she muttered under her breath. He grinned.
About the Author
Born Vicki-Ann Guidice, on January 14th, 1962, her journey into the realm of the spiritual and supernatural was initiated at birth. Her early years were spent in Queens, New York known for having more people passed on than alive, as well as having several Gothic cemeteries within walking distance of its communities. At the age of 15, she moved to Los Angeles California taking her fertile imagination with her. After meeting her future husband, Ronald Bush, her new homeland became Las Vegas, Nevada.
As a mother of two, her first published book in 2008, Winslow Willow the Woodland Fairy, took her love of fantasy and spun it into a heartwarming children’s book. The progression to the young adult literary market took root in her novels that captured the haunting qualities of the Las Vegas desert surrounding her, but it was New York that called her home. Alex McKenna, the main character in the book series first published in 2019, is the embodiment of her Italian-American roots, memories of adolescent outsider status, and the strength it takes to live an authentic life.
Ms. Bush is a co-founder of Coffee House Tours, an events-based collaboration between local bookstores and coffee shops allowing authors to represent themselves and their works. Additionally, she is a frequent podcast literary guest and has a special relationship with The Center LGBTQIA+ Las Vegas where Alex McKenna has been an inspirational focus as a transgender Paranormal teen. Now starring in the short film Alex and Margret’s Beginning, inspired by the book series, Ms. Bush is an award winning short screenplay writer and Producer. Bringing her moving and unique storyline and character to a broader audience.
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Giveaway Alert!
Vicki-Ann Bush will award a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway| April 22 | The Avid Reader | April 22 | Sybrina’s Book Blog |
| April 23 | Sandra’s Book Club | April 23 | Long and Short Reviews |
| April 24 | Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read | April 24 | Literary Gold |
| April 25 | Westveil Publishing | April 26 | Joanne Guidoccio |
| April 26 | Kenyan Poet |
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I was gifted Alex McKenna & The Academy of Souls by Vicki-Ann Bush for my birthday, and I have been a fan of Vicki’s ever since.
If you liked that you’re gonna enjoy The Darkest Light. It’s got a bit of the same sarcastic exchange between characters. And of course they’re going into battle with Lucifer’s disciples so there’s some tense action too!
Thank you so much for hosting today!
Marianne, what if you suddenly found out everything you thought about your life was a story to hide the truth of your destiny?
If you could choose any fictional world to live in for a day, which one would it be and why?
This is tough because I have such a connection to the past so I’d immediately go back in time. However, for fictional world, I think I might like to try the Marissa Meyer world of The Lunar Chronicles. Specifically I like Cinder. It’s quirky mix of fairytale and machines is interesting to me.
I like the playlist. Sounds great.
That’s cool to hear. I write a Playlist for each book because it helps me stay with the emotions I like to hold on to for each story. This one was so easy for me because I already had a connection to most of the songs. Usually though, I hear a song for the first time and then save it because I know it will strike a writing mood.
Looks like a really good read.