Title: DNA Demons N Angels – What to Expect When You’re Expecting Something Different
Author: Katie Zaber
Genre: Paranormal Romance / Paranormal Urban Fantasy
Book Blurb:
It’s weird how every woman reacts differently. How each pregnancy differs.
Mine is definitely unique.
My sense of smell became stronger, picking up the faintest odors, and my stomach was in constant turmoil. Those were the first signs.
And then I started eating. And eating. If I don’t, I get a migraine and people’s faces become blurry. Electronics seem to malfunction in my presence. And the nightmares—they don’t stop.
Something is changing my body.
Something that should have never happened.
Something that my husband and I had prevented from happening.
Something people say is miraculous.
The bigger I get, the more frequently I encounter people who become possessed. And the more often I wind up questioning if I am carrying a miracle baby.
The closer I get to the due date, the more I love this child and the more confident I am that I will protect my baby from anything.
Even its fate.
Excerpt:
14 Weeks - The Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania
This time, for the first time, I’m in a fancy doctor’s office. No height and weight scale. No sink to wash off your hands. No bin to place used needles. No sheets of wax paper to place over the examination table. No holsters.
The office has a homey feel instead of the normal sterile environment I’ve been experiencing since my first doctor’s appointment. This isn’t the room where the doctor examines me. This is the room where they tell me the bad news. Grieve with me and give me counsel.
My fingers curl under the blue tank top I have on and press against the little bump. Will you make it past the orange phase? Will you grow any bigger? Or will you become a bittersweet memory?
Vanilla. No. French vanilla coffee, maybe a latte. The soft, sweet aroma makes its way to my nostrils before I can hear kitten heels tapping on the tile floor like a cowbell hanging around her neck, giving everyone a warning of her approach. “Good morning. How are you feeling today?”
I inhale and savor the flavor lingering in the air. “That caffeine smells good.”
“I’m sure it does,” she says with a chuckle, sitting behind her desk, eyeing me behind her mug, questioning if I’ve been sneaking caffeinated beverages, crippling my child even more. She doesn’t wear scrubs or any attire that would make me think she is a doctor. If I ran into her at the store dressed as she is in her pinstriped pantsuit, I would think she was an educated business woman. “I have all your test results. Before I continue, would you like to know the sex?”
“No, I want it to be a surprise.” Like everything else has been, it seems more fitting. “How bad is it? What disease does it have?”
She bites her lip and tilts her head, placing her mug on the desk. “Not a disease. No. But your child is different.”
Okay, I’ll reword that. “Is my baby healthy?”
“Not certain. None of the tests results came back as your child having any developmental deformities or any genetic diseases.” She pauses. Bites her lip again. How is she a world-renowned specialist? Her unsure posture and lack of confidence only adds to my fears. “Do you know what Parthenogenesis is?”
“What? No.”
“It occurs primarily in invertebrates: insects, fish, reptiles, in a few species of birds, sharks. It mainly occurs when there is a lack of males and depletion in the species. However, you, Everild, are the first mammal, the first human, ever to conceive without sperm—at least on record. Your child has no paternal DNA, just yours. Normally, in humans, this would cause a teratoma tumor, but remarkably, a healthy embryo was able to form.”
My only response is to blink.
I didn’t cheat. I didn’t block out some affair or actually hurt Jim. I’m not to blame for any of this—at least not knowingly. I’m not a horrible person. I was true to him.
Tears of joy stream down my face and I quickly wipe them away. “I’m sorry. Um, like asexual reproduction?”
“It is a form of asexual reproduction.”
“So is my baby all right?”
“That’s hard to say. There has never been an instance recorded of this happening—unless you think the Virgin Mary was factual.” She adds a candid laugh. “So it’s difficult to say what will happen. At the moment, all the tests have come back clear of any illnesses. If you didn’t do paternal testing, we would have never suspected that there was anything different with your baby,” she says with a smile.
Her expression drops. All the blood drains from her face as she grows paler and paler until her face is white as milk. Her body shakes, breaking into violent spasms. Before I can open my mouth to cry for help, the doctor unhinges her jaw unnaturally. A deep, echoey voice—not hers—booms out of her mouth.
“Protect the child. Do not allow any more tests. The baby will be born perfect.”
Just as fast as the change in her occurred, she reverses back to her normal self. “Ahem.” She clears her throat as if she didn’t morph before my eyes and is only suffering from a tickle. “Sorry about that.” Reaching for her mug, she coughs one more time before guzzling the remains of her coffee. “As I was saying, we won’t know until you are further along what problems may arise. As of now, everything looks good, but you may need to terminate in the upcoming weeks. I know it’s hard to think about and it’s completely up to you; however, you should consider it. The process will be easier on your body to terminate sooner rather than later.”
What just happened? What do I even say to her? She looks like she has no clue she was just possessed for fifteen seconds. I sit and stare at her. So many things just occurred in under a minute. How do I digest what just happened? The homeless man comes to mind, giving me chills.
All I can do is blink as I hug my baby bump. “No.”
That’s right. No.
No to everything. I’m not killing my only chance to have a miracle child when every test says it’s normal. Is it right to destroy something that is healthy against all odds?
Plus, what was that gibberish coming out of her? Protect the child. Don’t allow any more tests. The baby will be born perfect. What kind of shit was that? It contradicts everything the woman said a moment later.
“I’m sorry, but I’m having this child. I need to go.” I won’t say home; I don’t have one anymore. But maybe, just maybe, if I tell Jim this, he’ll take me back.
“Call me if you need anything. And I want to see you in two weeks. We’ll draw more blood and order more lab work.”
What is in her coffee?
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
DNA Demons N Angels - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0975417BJ
DNA Demons N Angels Chapters 1-4 - https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/c9c1d002-1fb2-11ec-86db-a3186d5491f2
BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/katie-zaber?follow=true
If you could dress up as anything or anyone this Halloween, what or who would it be and why?
For Halloween this year, I’d love to dress up as Wednesday Addams. She’s one of my favorite characters from a movie. Plus, the outfit is pretty easy, at least with the dresses in my wardrobe.
Explain why your featured book is a treat to read:
Mysteriously pregnant and haunted by spirits, a young mother must protect her baby from everything... even fate itself.
This book follows Eve, a young mother to be, who shouldn’t be pregnant. As her baby grows, people become possessed around her, either telling her that her baby should die or to protect her child at all costs.
And that’s just the beginning to Eve’s story.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon (US or Canada) gift card.
Open internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to be eligible.
Runs October 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on November 1.
Author Biography:
Katie Zaber, author of the series Dalya and DNA, is a fantasy author whose imagination knows no bounds. As a child, her parents read stories about Atlantis and other fictional places that she dreamed of exploring, fueling her love of history, adventure, and fantasy. She loves to spend what little free time she has winemaking, baking, and reading. When she has a full day to herself, you can find her at the beach or at a winery. Her favorite meals are the ones her boyfriend cooks, and she loves spending quiet nights at home with him, binge watching new fantasy shows or play video games.
Social Media Links:
Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/Katie-Zaber/e/B087YXPDF2
Website- https://zaberbooks.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dalyaseries
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Zaberbooks
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zaberbooks/