The world has broken out in wars. Las Vegas has been ravaged by chemical warfare and is now home to several clans and creatures.

Welcome to I-D-8 Entertainment’s newest game: Clans of Vegas—Endless Night.

Friends and family have gathered for a crunch time playtest of C.O.V.E.N.. When a horrible thunderstorm hits, everyone’s sucked into the game for real. In the MMORPG, Hope Collins is kidnapped by Buzz and forced to submit to his whims. Her boyfriend, Alden, has to delay his quest of defeating a clan’s prince to save her, but time and circumstance don’t seem to be on his side. Faith Collins is bombarded by strange dreams brought on by Buzz. Her boyfriend, Tavis, learns to dream walk, but can he help break the spell she’s under and save her before she’s lost to him?

C.O.V.E.N. is more than just a game. It’s a whole other world.

 

Tell us a little about yourself. What’s it like to be you?
Hi, I’m Cassandra. I make somewhat of a showing in Casey’s story, Open World. She says my turn will come in story number four. I’m usually not a very patient person, but in this case I have to be. Sometimes it’s hard to be me. People don’t understand me. In fact, my parents shipped me off to live with my aunt, uncle and cousins because they didn’t know how to deal with me anymore. So I’ve lived with my relatives for the past handful of years. My aunt and uncle are uber religious. I’m a Wiccan. See? That’s one of the issues I’m dealing with. I’ve been successful keeping that a secret, but by now they probably know something’s up with me. My cousins like to hit me up for help, but I know they’re still hesitant about my beliefs.

Who is the most important person in your life and why?
My best friend, Morrigan. She’s my mentor, my friend, and has been my sounding board as I live with my relatives. She’s a high priestess and has been helping me grow in my belief system.

Do you prefer books or movies? Do you have a favorite?
I love books. Though reading a great fiction book once in a while is nice, my favorite books have to do with anything Wiccan.

Describe your ideal mate.
Big and tough. I’m thinking Viking like. Even so, when it comes to me, he’s a teddy bear.

Do you think the author portrayed you correctly?
I think she did a great job, and she’s really kicking ass in the story where I’m featured.

What in your past had the most profound effect on you?
My parents kicking me out and making me move to Las Vegas to live with my relatives. Though it sucked, it was the best thing for me. I have a wonderful job now that I love. If I hadn’t moved, I wouldn’t have the awesome position in I-D-8.

 

Available now at Evernight Publishing ~ Open World – C.O.V.E.N. by Casey Moss

The world of C.O.V.E.N. (Clans of Vegas – Endless Night) first appeared in Evernight Publishing’s anthology Keyboards & Kink (available here: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/keyboards-and-kink/ & at other fine e-tailers) in Casey’s story, AFK.

In AFK, we saw a peek into I-D-8 Entertainment’s in-production MMORPG: Clans of Vegas – Endless Night, also known as C.O.V.E.N. when Beth and another gamer got sucked into the game for real.

Now, when it comes to Open World, it’s actually made up of parts from two novellas that had been previously published. Those stories were my very first published ones released in 2008 under my alter ego’s name. A few years ago, I received the rights back on them, and they sat in a file until this year. There’s been some major work done to revamp them from a sci-fi’ish plot to the computer gaming one present in the book today. I am so excited these stories, and more to come in the C.O.V.E.N. world, have found new life and a great new home with Evernight Publishing.

In the story, Open World, some of the employees of I-D-8 have joined together for a LAN party to test the game. For definitions on the computer gaming term: open world, check out http://www.techopedia.com/definition/3952/sandbox-gaming).

 

Excerpt

Big T watched her with a huge grin on his face. Happier than she’d been in ages, she returned the expression. Again she closed her eyes, continued to juggle the shining spheres and hummed the tune from the dream she had the night before.

“Zya,” Tavis whispered proudly.

She popped her eye open and stared at him, astonished. The orbs came to rest in her hands. She stepped toward him, the tops of her fingertips barely touching his chest with the spheres stilled in her palms, and opened her mouth to speak.

“Nice set of balls you have there in your hands, Faith,” Cassandra commented from the entrance to the kitchen before her cousin could get a word out.

Faith and Big T dropped their balls like they were two kids in trouble for having something they shouldn’t. As the orbs hit the floor, they dissipated into the air.

Cassandra shook her head. “I don’t know about you two. Every time I come in here, I catch you guys up to something. Well, have at it. Alden is off fetching Hope. I’m heading out to Morrigan’s property. Then we’re off to the temple. Since I’ll be with my friend, you won’t have to babysit me, Big T.” She gave each one a cursory glance again, then left.

Once the front door closed, Faith gathered her wits and focused back on Big T. She gasped. “You’re glowing!”

“Describe it for me.”

The rich, deep timbre of his voice reverberated through her core, reminding her of the passion she’d shared with her new dream man. She took a deep, steadying breath. “It’s like a fog edging your body. Not a thick fog because I can still make out some detail behind you, but enough of a haze to be defining. It’s a gorgeous turquoise. It ebbs and flows with your breaths.”

“Well, my dear, you’re glowing, too. Your hue is a beautiful amber, like that of your energy globes.” He took her hand in his.

“This is too weird,” she commented as the colors swirled and blended together. “It’s like what happened in my dream. Maybe I need some more sleep.”

“No, Faith, you don’t need more sleep. You need to find your eyes, look with your soul, then you’ll see the truth and the path which is already before you.” He stepped in toward her and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Your salvation from Mabuz’s world and the ties that bind you there lie in choosing the right course of action, deciding between good and evil.”

 

Buy Links:

Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/open-world-by-casey-moss/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Open-World-C-O-V-E-N-Casey-Moss-ebook/dp/B00KCE12JW

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-openworld-1514409-147.html

BookStrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/open-world

About the Author

Casey Moss delves into the darker aspects of life in her writing, sometimes basing the stories on reality, sometimes on myth. No matter the path, her stories will take you on a journey from the light-hearted paranormal to dark things unspeakable. What waits around the corner? Come explore…

Website: http://caseymossbooks.com/

Blog: http://caseymossbooks.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.CaseyMoss

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaseyMoss_