Archive for the ‘thriller’ Category

Teaser Tuesdays # 103 ~ Vostok by Steve Alten

Posted: February 24, 2015 in horror, Teaser Tuesdays, thriller
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

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Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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My Tease for this week is from

Vostok

by Steve Alten

 

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My Tease is from page 139 in the Hard Cover.

But I was no longer listening to them, for the emptiness that had occupied our sonar monitor was no longer empty, the vacuum of space replaced by three distinct blips —

— and they were coming our way.

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Synopsis

East Antarctica: The coldest, most desolate location on Earth. Two-and-a-half miles below the ice cap is Vostok, a six thousand square mile liquid lake, over a thousand feet deep, left untouched for more than 15 million years. Now, marine biologist Zachary Wallace and two other scientists aboard a submersible tethered to a laser will journey 13,000 feet beneath the ice into this unexplored realm to discover Mesozoic life forms long believed extinct – and an object of immense power responsible for the evolution of modern man.

In this sequel to The Loch and prequel to the upcoming MEG 5: Nightstalkers, New York Times best-selling author Steve Alten offers readers a crossover novel that combines characters from two of his most popular series.

Steve Alten is the New York Times and International bestselling author of fourteen novels, including the MEG series about Carcharodon Megalodon, the 70-foot, 100,000 pound prehistoric cousin of the Great White shark and Domain trilogy, a series about the Mayan Calendar’s 2012 doomsday prophecy. His work has been published in over 30 countries and is being used in thousands of middle and high school curriculum as part of Adopt-An-Author, a free teen reading program, which he founded with teachers back in 1999.

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I’ve read all of Steve’s Meg series and The Loch book and loved them all. I’m so excited to get this ARC. It ties all of the books together and gets you prepared for the upcoming fifth book in the Meg series.

Giant magalodons and prehistoric creatures of the deep. My what big teeth you have! LOL

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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Growl by Ashley Fontainne ~ Release Day Review and Giveaway

Posted: January 15, 2015 in Blog Tour, giveaways, horror, Paranormal or fantasy, Release day, reviews, suspense, thriller
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Today is the official release day for the paranormal/horror/suspense/thriller Growl!

Did you hear it? There! Now did you hear it?

I thought I heard a growl!

Come on in and celebrate the release of Growl.

Check out the creeptastic cover.

Read my review.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!


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My Review

Growl starts with a rumble, low and sinister. The rumble becomes a snarl, louder now and closer. The snarl becomes an ear splitting roar as the end rushes towards you.

At the tender age of 9, when her world should be one of innocence and wonder, Sheryl Ilene Newcomb (did you catch her initials- SIN) does something unspeakable. And she spends the second half of her life in fear. Fear of being found out. And fear of doing it again.

Any chance at a normal life, of happily ever after with the love of her life, is shattered by a voice. A voice in her head. When she finally meets the owner of that voice, she’s pulled, kicking and screaming, into her heritage. Her destiny.

But, someone else is out there. Someone like her, but not like her. And they won’t stop coming after her until she’s dead.

By the title, you are probably thinking werewolves, but you’d be wrong. This is something new in the paranormal genre, something steeped in Native American lore.

The author chose Mississippi as the setting for this story and it worked well. The southern dialect and culture were a perfect foil for this tale.

Part mysticism, part faith and family, and part horror, Growl kept me engrossed until the battery ran out on my Kindle. As soon as it was recharged, I jumped back into the story, not stopping until I finished.

You’re going to like the ending. And you’re going to want more.

5 Stars

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Synopsis:

My name is Sheryl Ilene Newcomb. And yes, my initials are
S.I.N. A funny little piece of whimsical humor my parents found amusing when I
arrived. Mom and Dad were two high school sweethearts who adored their guns,
their beer and their self-appointed titles of King and Queen of the Rebellious
Rednecks. The day I arrived, they didn’t think anyone in the town would have
the mental acuity to put two and two together to discover their little inside
joke. Shame on the pathetic excuses who called themselves teachers in this
dreary city, because Mom and Dad had been right: no one caught on to their
little attempt at humor.
Then, it turned out to be true. Looking back with wiser eyes
now, my family and I concluded that the events leading up to my transformation
started the summer I turned nine. But the day we realized there was a problem,
and no turning back, was a week before I started my senior year at Junction City
High. The day the fangs and claws appeared and the monster inside of me
emerged. When mutilated corpses appeared near a pile of brush down by Caney
Creek, everything changed.

 

That day, I changed, forever. Because evil woke up and
growled, its ominous rumblings heard by every living thing in Locasia County,
Mississippi.
 
Click the link above to get the book from Amazon.
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PLUS!
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The following prizes are available:
2 winners will receive a free code for the following audio
books:
Accountable to None; Zero Balance; Adjusting Journal
Entries; Number Seventy-Five; The Lie; Empty Shell
2 winners will receive signed paperbacks of the following
books:
Accountable to None; Zero Balance; Adjusting Journal
Entries; Number Seventy-Five; The Lie; Empty Shell
2 winners will receive ebooks of the following:
Accountable to None; Zero Balance; Adjusting Journal
Entries; Number Seventy-Five; The Lie; Empty Shell
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1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Twinkle by S J Parkinson ~ A Sci Fi Thriller Review

Posted: November 22, 2014 in reviews, Science Fiction, thriller
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I was supposed to review Twinkle for a blog tour hosted by Premiere Virtual Book Tours.

Unfortunately, right before the tour, my blog was shut down and I had to research some self-hosting sights to find one that would fit my needs.

Now that I’m back up and running, I’m thrilled to share this book with you.

Check out the super trailer and my review.

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Twinkle by S J Parkinson

 This book would be rated PG.  This is what SJ said about the rating, “I don’t incorporate overt sex, profanity, or extreme violence in any of my writing. I prefer the story to be the main focus and want my novels to be accessible by all mature readers.”

 


 Twinkle

Publisher: SJ Parkinson (July 14, 2014)
Category: Science Fiction, Thriller
Available in: Print & ebook, 600 Pages
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 My Review

Twinkle is tagged as a science fiction thriller. That’s true. I’d also tag it as a wake up call.

Some of my best fiction reads were the ones without aliens or supernatural elements. The ones that tell a story that could happen.

Billions of people inhabit the planet and all eyes are focused on the skies. The richest man in the world celebrates the 4th of July with a never before done fireworks display launched from space. It’s a spectacular display and goes off without a hitch.

The following day, all those who witnessed the event begin to go blind.

Imagine it. Imagine what would happen as everything slows down, grinds to a halt. It falls on the few who didn’t watch the fireworks to care for those who did. From the highest levels of government to the farmer, all are affected.

The questions would be many. How did it happen? Was it planned? Who was behind it? What came next?

Mr. Parkinson has written a chilling plot of global disaster. The research is phenomenal. The writing, crisp and comprehensive. The story, at over 500 pages, is fast, addictive, and believable.

An excellent read I highly recommend.

I received this book from premiere Book Tours and the author for my honest review.

Thanks so much for the fantastic read!

5 Stars

*****

Synopsis

In the newest book from award winning author, SJ Parkinson, The richest man in the world wants to celebrate the July 4th holiday as never before. In a bid to get into the record books, a global fireworks show is staged from orbit. Satellites drop pyrotechnics into the atmosphere, thrilling everyone from the Arctic to the Antarctic with their rich colors and massive explosions in every time zone.

 

The next day, people around the globe begin to lose their sight. Governments crumble, society degenerates, and infrastructure falls into chaos. Humanity finds itself stumbling in the dark and losing all hope.

 

A few fortunate individuals retain their vision. Attempting to deal with the growing despair around them, they come together to discover the true purpose and origin of the affliction. They race to find a cure before the world is subjugated under an invading power.


 About SJ Parkinson:

 

Mr. Parkinson was an Air Force avionics technician, a decorated veteran of the Persian Gulf War, and several United Nations peacekeeping missions. He has lived overseas in numerous countries and travels extensively. His novels have been praised for their realism and sold in fourteen countries, winning multiple international awards.

Awards: Three “Outstanding in Genre” Gold Seal awards from Red Adept Publishing and Kindle Book of the Month award Oct 2013 by the People’s Choice Book Awards. 

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google +

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Click on the book below to get your copy.

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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Thursday Theatre #38 ~ Did somebody say…. Wherewolves ~ Author Interview & Giveaway

Posted: October 23, 2014 in giveaways, horror, Interview, reviews, Theatre Thursday, thriller
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Welcome to Thursday Theatre!

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Grab your popcorn and have a seat.

It’s time for the show!

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First up is an interview with John Vamvas and Olga Montes, authors of WHEREWOLVES.

Then I have my review and some fun videos.

There’s also a giveaway, so don’t forget to enter!

Let’s get this show on the road.

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When and why did you begin writing?

The first thing we wrote together was a two-person full-length stage play that we toured across Canada in 1994 titled Cocaine Eyes. Based on lyrics Johnny had written a few years back, we wrote it for lack of finding a two-person play that we could tour. (Cocaine Eyes was picked “Best of the Festival” in several cities.)

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How long have the two of you been writing together and will we see other books that you will coauthor?

We’ve been writing together for, wow, it’s already been twenty years! WHEREWOLVES is the first novel we’ve written – we’d previously written full-length plays. feature-length screenplays, and short films. We definitely have the narrative bug now. Yes, you can expect more from us. Right now, we’re about a third into writing the screenplay, WHEREWOLVES TOO, the sequel to WHEREWOLVES. We’ll write the novel based on the screenplay after that (like we did with WHEREWOLVES).

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Do you find it helps to write the screenplay first?

Yes, definitely! The screenplay serves as the skeleton for us. It makes us bring the story from A to Z with only being able to focus on the most important details. (It was only after having written WHEREWOLVES the novel that we knew what the characters looked like.) Writing the novel gives us complete artistic freedom; and that is even more exhilarating for us. We get to fatten up and decorate the story. We have the liberty to get into characters heads and hearts and say what on screen cannot be said.

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Do you have a specific writing style?

Perhaps because of our stage and screen writing background, where every word must count for something, you could say that our writing is fast-paced and very visual.

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This question is specifically for John, how does Olga inspire you to become a better writer?

Olga completes me. But most of all, she trusts me. She lets me push my ideas forward no matter how crazy they may be. She gets what I’m trying to say. Before I know it, she’s on the same page with me and together we shape the craziness into something solid.

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This question is specifically for Olga, how does John complement your style ow writing?

Johnny’s dialogue jumps right out of the page. It rings true, is original, and slick. I have fun writing description. I think that together we give our writing a nice balance between seeing and hearing.

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Do you two ever find it difficult to complete a specific portion of a story based on you each having ideas of how something should be played out?

No. We are extremely in tune with one another when we write. Besides, we usually let the scene write itself.

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What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The hardest part, in our opinion, was making sure that the changes in point of view were clear and flowed smoothly. Our editor, Shelley A. Leedahl, was relentless (and we love her for it); she kept scribbling “Work harder!” “Remember whose POV you’re in!” in the margins. She pushed us well beyond what we thought we were capable of.

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What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Olga sometimes looks crazy, hands stiff on the keyboard. Her face acts out the scene so she can find the right word. When she doesn’t, she hits every thesaurus site, program, and book possible until she finds it. She won’t let go of the keyboard until then.

When we get stuck on a scene, Johnny goes out on to the patio and paces until he suddenly visualizes the characters. He then listens to them intently, races down to the office and says, “Move over!” He types away—completely disregarding spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

He’ll also wake me up in the middle of the night after a dream and say, “Let’s go write.”

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This question is for you both individually. Who is your biggest supporter and why?

Olga: I’d have to say Johnny is my biggest supporter. He knows how to bring out my creative best. He lets me run with ideas. He gives me the confidence and push needed to write.

John: Olga is my biggest supporter. I grew up in a tough neighborhood – gangs and such – and never graduated high school. Olga has always seen my potential and believed in my creativity.

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If you had to choose one word to describe your coauthor what would it be?

Olga re John: Einstein – Frankenstein

John re Olga: WordFiend

(okay, we cheated, that’s two words each J)

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What advice would you give to new authors just coming out?

No matter how brilliant you think your writing is, hire an editor. One with experience—or at least a degree—who knows what s/he’s doing. It will make your novel that much more brilliant. Yes, family and friends can act as beta readers and give you great constructive criticism but not all will be able to spot point-of-view mistakes, inconsistencies, redundancies, etc. Agreed, it can be a little expensive, but, honestly, it’ll be worth every penny.

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to get to know us. If you’d like to know more about our work or to read the first two chapters of WHEREWOLVES, please visit our website: www.wherewolvestheblog.com

Cheers!

Olga and John

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My Review

I’m a huge fan of B- movies and this reads like a good one. As I read each scene I easily and gleefully visualized it, every bloody bit of it.

A group of troubled teens are taken into the woods for a survival weekend. The teacher leaves them to fend for themselves. I know. Seen ir or read it before…. you think.

The author brings a lot to the table, introducing you to the characters which consist of the typical jocks, bullies, and geeks. You get to know what drives them, what scares them, before they even enter the woods that night.

As dark approaches, they huddle around the campfire telling stories. It might not be a cozy gathering, but things aren’t too bad. Until they sense something watching them.

This is where the story gets gritty. I love character driven novels and how, when a group is faced with a life or death situation, the dynamics come into play. It takes just a few hours for the fight or flight instincts to consume the teens and chaos to reign once some of the group go missing.

The screaming and snarling from the deep dark of the woods scatters the group and they fear each other as much as what’s stalking them.

The authors brought it all to the table, the fear of the dark, the peer pressure, the teen angst, and the will to survive. This book may have teen characters, but I don’t think there’s much difference between how they acted and a group of adults would act. If you’ve watched Stephen King’s The Mist, you can see how quickly adults succumb to their own fears. In fact, I think the teens might be better prepared for something like this. They aren’t that far from when they feared the bogey man under the bed and may be quicker to believe the unimaginable.

From the title you get a clue to what’s stalking these teens. Feral beasts from your nightmares. These aren’t shifters. They don’t turn into humans and they are horrific in their maniacal glee as they rampage through the group.

I knew what was waiting out in the woods, I knew not everyone would survive, and I knew some would turn on each other and that filled me with trepidation, built the tension to a fever pitch, and had me jumping when my dog suddenly barked at something outside. His own special effects to set the mood for me.

I just love a good werewolf book without the shifter glamour and romance. It was a bloody frolic right to the deliciously wicked ending.

5 STARS

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A little treat for ya!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwK02Rrn-J4]

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Synopsis

Using a fun, explosive style, full of new slang and fresh dialogue, WHEREWOLVES is the story of a group of high school seniors, most “military brats”, who are headed for an army-type survival weekend.

The underdogs, Jeffrey and Doris, do not want to go as they fear for their safety among the disdain and cruelty of the popular students. Sergeant Tim O’Sullivan, their teacher, as well as their dysfunctional parents pressure them into going, but it is an unforgivable act by their peers that propels the pair to go. Likewise, Elie, a student resented because of his Arab roots, is even more determined to prove himself this weekend. In the background, a news report cautions of a wanted couple with alleged super-human strength supposedly brought on by a new drug on the streets.

In the woods, the students hike, hunt, camp, and soon act in unity as the forest brings them closer together. But does it? O’Sullivan leaves them alone for the night. The students bond, chant, tell campfire tales, and quickly lose their fears and inhibitions. HOO-AH! Though sexual tensions are high, it soon turns to violence and everything quickly turns sour.

When the kids start disappearing one after the other, the remaining begin to unwittingly “act like the natives” carving spears, ready to face whatever is out there. What has gotten into them?

Amid the blood-curdling growls and the gruesome deaths, the story’s underlying layers are revealed. We see how misconceptions, prejudice, greed, fear, and hatred bring out the worst and best in them.

What is out there? Can it really be werewolves?

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKmQnzDiKoE]

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About the Authors

Wherewolves J&O CD2

“BANG-ON DIALOGUE. Vamvas and Montes make it look, sound, smell real.” The Edmonton Journal

“IMPRESSIVE TALENT in this writing/producing/acting team”, The Winnipeg Free Press

“Montes and Vamvas continue to demonstrate their skills with SWITCHBLADE-SHARP EARS FOR DIALOGUE and hard, thoroughly believable plot lines.” The Sunday Journal

“A SEXY and EXPLOSIVE style that pulls the patrons forward to the edge of their seats”, The Edmonton” Journal

“RAZOR-SHARP LINES” SEE Magazine

Wherewolves Scarpe Review Edmonton Sun

Together for over 20 years, John and Olga started as an acting team but soon began to write their own scripts for lack of finding two-person plays they could tour across North America. They wrote and toured four full-length critically acclaimed plays to packed houses across Canada and the United States, including, Bad Boy, which they performed Off-Off-Broadway at New York’s Creative Place Theatre in the heart of Times Square.

Wherewolves Bad Boy 2

 

In 2001, they were approached to star in and rewrite the short film, Things Never Said in Playa Perdida. Playa won the audience award at the New York Short Film Festival in 2002 and tied first place at the Festivalisimo festival in Montreal.

 

WHEREWOLVES was written as a screenplay in 2010. They wrote the novel, edited by award winning Canadian author/poet, Shelley A. Leedahl, to get the story out while they wait for it to hit the screens.

 

Author John Vamvas

John Vamvas

John Vamvas grew up in one of Montreal’s (Canada) roughest boroughs. His high school teachers always told him that he’d be in jail or dead by eighteen. Thank God for the Arts. Actor, playwright, screenwriter and now novelist, he has been writing with his writing partner/wife, Olga Montes, for over twenty years. He loves words, especially dialogue, and has a lot of fun coming up with new ways to say the same thing.

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Author Olga Montes

Olga Montes

Mother, preschool French teacher, avid reader, Olga dreamed of being a writer as a child and spent many high school lunch hours working on her writing with her English teacher. She has a college degree in Professional Theatre and a university degree in Spanish and French grammar and literature. She was on her way to becoming a translator for the UN when she heard of an open audition at one of Montreal’s biggest theatres. She almost didn’t get the role, though, because the director and co-star, John Vamvas, was scared of falling in love with the actress and ruining the play. That was 1992. She and John have been writing and working together on stage, screen, and in life ever since.

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I have two eBook copies of Wherewolves to give away!

To enter, pleasure leave your email address so I can contact you if you win and watch the video below to answer this question:

“Which werewolf transformation do you think is the best or tell us your favorite?”

[youtube=https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMl1qGkfyv0&list=PLIN47fZQoFmFY8z9zj-hPiGsLJeXw3k6p]

Giveaway ends October 31st.

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Happy Halloween and thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

To see all of my giveaways click on the werewolves below and Good Luck!

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….so she ran. Breathing Black ~ Cover Reveal and Giveaway

Posted: October 10, 2014 in Adult Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Cover Reveal, Excerpt, giveaways, thriller
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It’s time for the Cover Reveal of Breathing Black

I can’t wait for you to see it!

Are you ready?

I am!

Here ya go!

Breathing Black cover GR SW(1)

New Adult/Adult Contemporary Romance/Thriller

Releasing December 2, 2014

Cover designed by Okay Creations

Pre-Order on Amazon

Goodreads

GRITTY. INTENSE. EMOTIONALLY HONEST.
A stunning debut novel that will leave you breathless.

A desolate childhood; a scarred, jaded, damaged girl. Larkin Grant knew she couldn’t end up like her mother … so she ran. All her belongings packed in the back of a rusted, brown Cadillac, her best friend June in the passenger seat as the co-pilot, she fled Aspen and never looked back.

A new life in a new city, Larkin was finally starting to breathe again, an unfamiliar sense of happiness seeping into her lungs. Landon Black, the boy she loved from afar, came back into her life despite leaving him and her awful memories buried hundreds of miles away. A weakened pulse brought back to life.

He said she was beautiful. She was starting to believe him. He pursued her and changed the course of everyone’s plans. Life had dealt Larkin a cruel hand, but maybe this was it. Maybe the boy that never knew she existed finally saw her and came to free her from the darkness of her past.

But we are never truly free. There are secrets that bind us and lies that unravel from the most beautiful of lips. Blackness that suffocates and makes us question everything we thought we knew. Larkin and Landon are intertwined in ways they never imagined, their future unclear as ghosts come back to haunt them.

Friendship. Revenge. Love. Drugs. Murder. Deceit.

The first in a two-book series, Breathing Black is a mix of suspense and breathless romance. It’s a provocative tale that challenges what one is willing to do to protect the ones they love. An emotional journey where trust isn’t an option and falling in love never hurt so bad.

Breathing Black Quote Nerves

 

EXCERPT

My mother once said love is like a drug, fast and euphoric. Licking lips, high on the idea it’s going to last forever, until you’re clawing at your skin trying to escape the destructive poison you let inside.

 

I woke up to my phone vibrating in my purse. The realization of the darkness that surrounded me came crashing back into my pounding head along with everything else that had taken place. I sat up and crawled on the cold tile floor, following the sound of my phone drumming into the ground. I grabbed it out of my purse and dismissed an unknown Colorado area code number.

4:30 p.m. I’d been in this bathroom for hours.

By choice.

I didn’t want to leave, and I didn’t want move or face reality, so I chose to lie there and let the crippling fog of sleep take over so I could pretend none of it happened.

I peeked under the bathroom door into his office. It was dark and silent so I felt up the wall finding the light switch and turned it on. Walking over to the bathroom sink and looking into the mirror was painful, a visible reminder of how pathetic I truly was. Splashing water on my face wouldn’t rinse away the misery. I left as quickly as possible, peeking out of the blinds into the hallway until the coast was clear so I could open the door and run down the emergency exit stairs.

Right when I got home, I got into the bathtub. All I wanted to do was cleanse myself of Landon Black, but the water wouldn’t get hot enough, and my hands couldn’t scrub fast enough. I wanted to wash away the way he made me feel. I wanted to wash away everything he did to me Saturday night. I was so disgusted with myself. How could I be so blind? Sobs strangled my lungs as my cries tore up my throat until after a while I finally just stopped. Like a blown fuse, my body shut off. I lay in a white bathroom, in the white tub, with white noise resonating in my ears, yet all I could think about was red. I sat in the bathtub letting the hot water that had now turned to ice soak my skin. He used me. Everything that happened between us was a goddamn lie. So many questions raced through my mind. The biggest one was why?

Breathing Black Quote Flaws

 

To sign-up for the Breathing Black Tour this December 2nd – 20th , visit AToMR’s site!

Piper Payne is hosting a reveal giveaway!

 Enter to win an ARC of Breathing Black and a $25 Amazon Gift Crad.

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

Raffle button

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About the Author

piper

My love for literature and writing is an addiction. My mind is continually telling stories and I have a queue of books I want to write being stacked up in my brain. I don’t know how to write pretty and perfect so I write perfectly flawed and unpredictable. Just like life.

I’m married to my best friend and I’m mother to three little miracles. I love going to farmers markets, bookstores, and long drives with my family in my ruby red Bronco. I also have an unhealthy love for makeup, Oreos, Halloween, queso dip, psychic readings, sushi, massages, and Redd’s Apple Ale.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Friday First Chapter Reveal & Giveaway ~ A Murder of Magpies

Posted: October 3, 2014 in Book Promos, giveaways, thriller, YA Fantasy
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Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!

This week, we are revealing the first chapter for

A Murder of Magpies by Sarah Bromley
presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

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Winter in Black Orchard, Wisconsin, is long and dark, and sixteen-year-old Vayda Silver prays the snow will keep the truth and secrecy of the last two years buried. Hiding from the past with her father and twin brother, Vayda knows the rules: never return to the town of her mother’s murder, and never work a Mind Game where someone might see.

No one can know the toll emotions take on Vayda, how emotion becomes energy in her hands, or how she can’t control the destruction she causes. But it’s not long before her powers can no longer be contained. The truth is dangerously close to being exposed, placing Vayda and her family at risk.
Until someone quiets the chaos inside her.

Unwanted. That’s all Ward Ravenscroft has ever been. To cope, he numbs the pain of rejection by denying himself emotions of any kind. Yet Vayda stirs something in him. He can’t explain the hold she has on him–inspiring him with both hope and fear. He claims not to scare easily, except he doesn’t know what her powers can do. Yet.

Just as Vadya and Ward draw closer, she finds the past isn’t so easily buried. And when it follows the Silvers to Black Orchard, it has murder in mind.

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add to goodreads

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Title: A Murder of Magpies
Publication date: October 28, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Sarah Bromley

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Excerpt

Enjoy Chapter One! Happy Reading!

Chapter One

Vayda

Disaster came as a boy in a Catholic school uniform. That boy was my brother, Jonah.

We’d seen disaster, somehow crawled out from the ruins, and lived. It didn’t just happen, all explosive and bombastic so we knew everything changed. A real disaster began with a spark of fire that rose in the air and snuffed out. When the ash landed, it was still hot enough to burn, and from that ember, everything we knew went up in flames.

It happened before. I had reason to fear it would happen again.

My fingers drummed on the time-scarred armrest of a chair in Monsignor Judd’s office. Someone had etched a cross into the wood five, ten, maybe twenty years ago. A saint’s stare bore down on me from the stained-glass window; no comfort lay in his face, only my guilt for not knowing the saint’s name. Outside the office, Monsignor stood, fingers steepled, while the heating vent blew the draping of his cassock. His ear angled to the young nun whispering with him over the manila folder of Jonah’s permanent record. Curls snaked from her nun’s habit, and her eyes slid to watch me. Dull, dark. Nearly dead.

My hands grew warmer. I forced my breathing to slow. Calm down, Vayda girl. Nothing to get worked up over yet.

Not easy when I was a human magnet for emotion.

Slouching in his chair, Jonah fidgeted with a hole in his blue trousers. I always thought he’d blow our cover someday, but that didn’t mean I was ready for it. A bruise purpled his cheekbone. His heat, a mix of emotion and energy, radiated to further prickle my hands until they were scorching. I needed to cool down, put everything on ice to stabilize Jonah and myself. I exhaled in hope of a cold breath. My twin’s fury was more than I could absorb.

You outdid yourself this time. I pointed the thought to his mind like a laser. Do you honestly think fighting with Marty Pifkin is worth all this trouble?

He avoided eye contact, naturally. That didn’t mean he didn’t listen. Silent to all but me, he answered, Dati’s already gonna read me the riot act. Don’t give me any grief, especially since I was defending you.

Defending me from Marty Pifkin of all people. Let it go. What’s done is done. I didn’t know whether to give my brother a good wallop upside the head like our mom would have or pray we’d skate on by. Keep at it, Jonah, and people will notice what you can do. Throwing a desk without using your hands isn’t exactly wisdom for the ages.

Why don’t you keep that in mind the next time you lose it and break all the light bulbs in the science lab? He swiped a rogue strand of long, dark hair from his face. You lack subtlety and finesse, Sis.

Subtlety. Finesse. Words sixteen-year-old boys knew ohso-much about. I choked on a laugh and lowered my eyes to the ratty, blue Chucks I paired with my Catholic school plaid, wool skirt, and tights. Even if it wasn’t my school uniform, I wore dresses most days. I could move my legs and didn’t feel so caged in.

Brushing away the glass dust on my thighs, I ignored the blood drying on my hands and clasped them together. They were less dangerous that way.

The door to the office lobby opened. The new nun resembled a black dandelion seed as she glided into Monsignor’s office. She was followed by the head priest and my father. The scent of wood dust clung to him. Most parents visiting St. Anthony of Padua High School rolled in wearing suits or golf attire, and then there was Dad with his Fat Tire shirt and varnish-splattered jeans—evidence he’d been working on a restoration when called to the school. Even if the fight between my brother and Marty hadn’t already strained my mental barriers, I still would’ve noticed Dad’s disappointment.

Dad lived by so-called cardinal rules. Looking at Jonah, there was only one rule I thought: There’s a devil on every man’s shoulder, whispering in his ear. Only he decides if he’ll throw salt at the devil or feed him his soul.

“What happened, Magpie?” Dad asked, a Georgia-born drawl buttering his voice as he checked out the cuts on my hand.

“Broken glass, Dati,” I answered.

“You ought to be more mindful, don’t you think?” His question had nothing and everything to do with breaking glass.

Monsignor cleared his throat. “Sorry to have you back in my office so soon, Mr. Silver.”

“Twice in one week is overkill.” Dad stood behind Jonah and me, a hand on each of our shoulders.

“I’ve spoken with our new staff psychologist, Sister Polly Tremblay.” Monsignor introduced the new nun. “She was hired this year after Dr. Fernandez took a position in Madison. Our newest Sister is a licensed practitioner, educator, and bride of Christ.”

Dad raised an eyebrow. “Is she now? That’s all so very impressive, Sister. Do you go by Sister Polly or Sister Tremblay?”

The nun blinked twice, no emotion registering on her face.

“Sister Tremblay. Polly is from my past life.” Monsignor grabbed the manila folder from the nun’s hands and hurried through his words. “Sister Tremblay has acquainted herself with Jonah’s file and feels he may benefit from some sessions with her. If I may be frank, Mr. Silver, your family came to Wisconsin two years ago, but of the people I’ve spoken with, no one really knows you. Certain appearances are important, especially for an institution such as St. Anthony’s. I’m sorry to have to say anything in front of your children, but you must all be aware of the situation I’m in while I’m deciding Jonah’s punishment.”

“You’re a widower running an antiques business,” Sister Tremblay added.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Dad snapped.

“The adjustment period after moving, especially when grieving, can be prolonged. In that regard, two years isn’t very long at all,” Sister Tremblay answered. “Teenagers often cope by acting out. If you’re as busy as I suspect—”

“I’ve got time for my kids,” Dad argued. “Always.”

The heating vent blasted more hot air into the office. My brother burned with frustration, and my shoulders tightened. I cracked my knuckles, all too aware of how the lights dimmed.

Monsignor Judd let out a sigh. “Sister Tremblay is only suggesting that talking to someone away from family could be good for Jonah.”

There was no “outside the family.” There never was. Hard to make friends and get past the New Kid stigma when we were either cooped up at home or at Dad’s shop under his watch. No wonder our classmates thought we were weird—we were.

The hairs on the back of my neck stiffened. I shifted in my chair for a better view into the lobby where another boy waited to talk with Monsignor. The hair curling near his jaw was the color of liquid cinnamon dashed with espresso, and a wire tethered an iPod to his ears as he held an icepack to his bottom lip.

Jonah’s sort-of friend, Ward.

He averted his eyes from mine.

My hands grew hot while the overhead lights flickered, drawing everyone’s attention to the ceiling. Dad’s grip pumped my shoulder.

Jonah stretched his legs. “I’m not hanging out with no damn shrink. Marty Pifkin’s got everyone wrapped around his finger.”

“Here we go again,” I muttered. “Jonah, stop it.”

“That guy is a creeper, and—”

I glanced to Dad for sympathy. “Marty asked to compare answers on our homework and Jonah lost it.”

“—he was bothering Vayda,” my brother talked over me.

“Guys like that shouldn’t be talking to her. He’s gadje. I didn’t throw the first punch, didn’t ask for Ward’s help. I barely know the kid.”

Monsignor waited until Jonah and I both quieted down.

“What’s gadje?”

Jonah gave Dad a pleading stare. We never let others knowthe meaning of words we’d grown up with, but Dad confessed,

“To some, it means outsider, though you could say we’re the outsiders here.”

Monsignor gave a reluctant nod. “Marty claims Jonahthrew a desk. That’s not behavior that will go unpunished.”

“And the physics lab? Every light was broken.” Sister Tremblay crossed her arms.

I sank into my chair and hid behind my hair. No one could avoid those dull eyes. I wanted out of the office. Now.

The Flickering of the lights grew faster. I shuddered, not cold, but burning up. The poster of a kitten clinging to a clothesline while cheering “Hang in there!” obviously didn’t relate to how fragile my grip was when so many emotions flooded a room. Usually I kept it together with mental barriers to deflect the constant flow of others’ feelings, but so much tension…

“You’re seriously suggesting a couple of kids broke every light bulb just like that?” Dad’s voice rose. He gestured to the palsied lights. “Y’all would be better off hiring an electrician before the school burns down.”

The room skewed left, and my vision blurred, head dizzied. Too hot, cluttered. My hands—I shut my eyes. Monsignor and Sister Tremblay had to be staring, but I couldn’t worry about them.

Energy. Rising.

Crack!

A fracture drove down the length of the fluorescent light above the desk. Sister Tremblay yelped and snatched Jonah’s folder to her chest.

“Hell of a power surge.” Jonah’s black eyes searched for a way into my mind. Not gonna let him in, not this time. He was worried, but nothing was wrong, nothing at all, except that I felt like I could pass out.

“Vayda, go get some fresh air,” Dad ordered. “You’re flushed.”

Monsignor dismissed me, and with the expected curtsey before hoisting my backpack onto my shoulder, I cracked my knuckles one last time to diffuse the energy swelling in my hands. I stepped out of the office, out of the glow of the stained-glass window, and paced near the chairs where Ward waited. Jonah started this whole mess. Marty had done nothing to me—this time. Marty never listened until Jonah made him. Ever since that first fight, Jonah had his anger centered on Marty. Anything Jonah felt, I felt ten times worse. When he was happy, he was very happy, but when he was angry, he was furious.

Mom had been the same way.

“I promise you won’t go belly-up if you hold still.” Ward’s voice was deep, raw honey. His head rested against his chair, his left eye cracked open, watching me.

I gave him a weak smile. I liked his voice.

Ward had been at our school only since Monday, and already the social boneyard where Jonah and I roamed had claimed him. After we transferred in following Christmas break nearly two years ago, we tried blending with the nameless, faceless uniforms, but it wasn’t so simple. The other students never warmed to us, and we hadn’t to them. We weren’t from here, didn’t look or act like them. We were among the Avoided, but, as of yesterday, we had a shadow. A gadje shadow.

“How’s your hand?” Ward asked. I glanced to my brother and father talking to Monsignor. That Jonah hadn’t chased off Ward was a tacit tolerance of him. “A few cuts. I’ll live.” I twisted my black hair, skimming my hips. “You hardly needed to play the white knight. Marty’s not much of a dragon, more like a salamander.”

“Maybe I like fighting salamanders.”

Chipped, gray polish colored his nails. Artsy in an I-don’t give- a-damn-I’ll-wear-it-if-it’s-clean way. If Monsignor noticed, that’d earn Ward a detention or two.

“Listen, gadjo.” He didn’t deserve social devastation all because of my cavalier brother. He needed to back off from us. While he still could. “Marty won’t bother you if you don’t bother him. Tangling with him will never be forgotten.”

His mouth twitched, neither a grin nor a frown. “I don’t scare easily.”

He slipped on his headphones once more. Must be nice to be so untouched, unfazed. Must be peaceful.

“Hey,” I called. He lifted one side of his headphones. “What are you listening to?”

“Music.”

Smart ass.

Thud! A chair had overturned in Monsignor’s office and rocked ever so slightly. A chair no one had been sitting in. Dad’s muffled voice came fast as he pulled Jonah by the arm. From the dark expression on his face, we were in for a major talking to.

“We need to leave. Now,” Dad said as he steered Jonah out of the office.

He whisked us past the sanctuary where our footfalls echoed on wood floors polished by nuns until glistening. The school was a dour extension off a century-old Catholic parish. The walls in the language arts wing were painted rich blue, the Virgin’s color. Hung between classrooms were carvings from the Stations of the Cross, thick with dust except for Christ’s gaze, which followed us and knew my family’s secrets and sins.

Outside was better. Riding in the car, the windows lowered to allow in the

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

Sarah Bromley

Sarah Bromley lives near St. Louis with her husband, three children, and two dogs. She likes the quiet hours of morning when she can drink coffee in peace, stare into the woods behind her house, and wonder what monsters live there. When she’s not writing or wrangling small children, she can be found volunteering at a stable for disabled riders.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Three eBook copies of A Murder of Magpies (International)

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A Chiller Thriller! Say Nothing Of What You See ~ Blurb Blitz & Giveaway

Posted: October 2, 2014 in Blitz, giveaways, thriller, YA
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I’m thrilled to be hosting a stop on this blitz tour.

The title, Say Nothing Of What You See, begged for me to take a closer look.

Then I gazed upon the cover. Oh man, it’s perfect.

Just look at her eyes, her expression.

Do you think she’s stunned? Afraid? Mesmerized?

What does she see I wonder.

This is one I have got to read.

Check it out. Read the peek inside the book.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Say Nothing of What You See

by Christy Effinger

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BLURB:

 

When her aunt steps off a grain elevator into the emptiness of a prairie evening, Mira Piper loses her one protector. Chloe, her flighty mother, impulsively drags her daughter to Bramblewood, an isolated spiritualist retreat in northern Michigan, run by the enigmatic Dr. Virgil Simon.

Chloe plans to train as a medium but it’s Mira who discovers she can communicate with the dead. When her mother abandons her, Mira discovers a darker aspect to Bramblewood: the seemingly kind doctor has a sinister side and a strange control over his students.

Then one winter’s day Troy Farrington arrives, to fulfill his mother’s dying wish and deliver her letter to the doctor. But calamity strikes and he finds himself a captive, tended by a sympathetic Mira. Haunted by her dead aunt and desperate to escape Bramblewood, Mira makes a devil’s deal with Dr. Simon. But fulfillment comes with a steep cost…betrayal.

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Doesn’t this sound chilling! I was born in Michigan and the fact the story is set there has me equally excited. I wonder if I’ll recognize anything. Here is a good one for your Halloween reading list!

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Check out the Excerpt

I remember the way she fell.

 

I remember, too, the moment just before it happened, when I came home from my summer job at the snow cone stand and found the house empty.

 

Aunt Charlotte had not set foot outside her bedroom for days, and now suddenly she was gone. She left a candle burning on the kitchen table, a damp towel on the bathroom floor, an empty shot glass on the nightstand. Her bedroom smelled of rose lotion and whiskey.

One of her straw sandals lay in the living room. The other lay on its side in the hall, as if she had hastily kicked it off on her way out the door. It meant trouble, all right, if Aunt Charlotte was barefoot. She never did anything sane when she was barefoot.

 

I picked up the sandals and stepped outside. A fat bumblebee ascended from one of the peonies by the porch steps, drunk with nectar. He banged stupidly against the screen door once, twice, and then careened around the house, clearly annoyed.

 

My gaze swept across our small yard and down the country road to the grain elevator. From somewhere far away came the discordant wail of a train. I glanced along the tracks and out into the cornfield before turning back to the grain elevator. What I saw there made me drop the sandals.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Say Nothing of What You See author

 

Christy Effinger’s poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in various print and online publications. She lives near Indianapolis. Her website is www.christyeffinger.com.

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It’s a survival showdown ! A Hidden Element by Donna Galanti ~ Tour and Giveaway

Posted: September 26, 2014 in Blog Tour, giveaways, Paranormal or fantasy, Science Fiction, Series, thriller
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Virtual Book Tour Dates: 9/23 – 9/30/14

I met Donna some time ago when she gifted me her book, A Human Element, the first book in her series.

It blew me away and I’ve been waiting a long time for A Hidden Element.

I won’t be posting a review yet as I’m still reading it. I can tell you that it is giving me just what I wanted so far!

Check out Donna Galanti and her thrilling new release A Hidden Element and enjoy the excerpt.

I’ve also posted my reviews for A Human Element and the short story collection. The Dark Inside.

And there’s a giveaway, so don’t forget to enter!

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Genres: Paranormal Suspense

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Blurb:

A HIDDEN ELEMENT:

Evil lurks within…

When Caleb Madroc is used against his will as part of his father’s plan to breed a secret alien community and infiltrate society with their unique powers, he vows to save his oppressed people and the two children kept from him. Seven years later, Laura and Ben Fieldstone’s son is abducted, and they are forced to trust a madman’s son who puts his life on the line to save them all. The enemy’s desire to own them—or destroy them—leads to a survival showdown. Laura and Ben must risk everything to defeat a new nemesis that wants to rule the world with their son, and Caleb may be their only hope—if he survives. But must he sacrifice what he most desires to do so?

Excerpt:

She trembled beneath him. Color rushed back into her. Her bruises faded. She arched her back and gasped.

He held her to him. Her breath infused his neck with warmth.

“I just wanted to set you free,” he whispered.

“Caleb,” she whispered. “How did you save me?”

He pulled her up and put his robe on her. He would pay for losing it later. He had stowed his extra one nearby. “It doesn’t matter. You must go. Head to the road and away from town. You must reach another town and ask for help. Before night comes. Tell no one about this. Pretend you have no memory. Find a church. Someone will help you.”

She looked at him with watery eyes. “My children.”

He grasped her arms. “I will watch over them. You need to go. Now.”

She just stared at him. He shook her. “We’ll both die if you don’t.”

She nodded and hung her head. Caleb lifted her hair away from her face. It shone dark gold in the sun flickering through the trees.

She pushed her hands in his robe pockets and then drew out a piece of paper. He watched her unfold it and read it. He knew it by heart, this last poem he could give her like he’d once given her his love.

She read the last two lines aloud. “Wrapped up in my heart with no place to go. Come, unwrap my heart and set me free in you.” She looked up, a solitary tear rolled down her cheek. “You unwrapped my heart too, Caleb Madroc.”

He pulled her close. Pine cones plunked around them. The wind blew a sweet, mournful song through bare branches. Yellow swirled down. The last dying leaves of autumn. In that moment he believed they were together, out for a walk in the woods before heading home to mate by the fire. A normal life. Somewhere else. Not here. He bent down and kissed her. At first, she didn’t move and then she pressed herself into him. He stroked her hair and took her mouth as a token then he let go and pushed her off him.

“Go. Now. Be free!”

She stared at him with wild eyes and stumbled away, his poem clutched in her hand. Then she turned and ran. His cloak flowed behind her, protecting her. He watched her go. He unraveled his full heart and sent it with her. It did him no good in this place.

He wanted to leave with her, but he had to think of their sons. If he left, his father would kill them. The sun faded behind clouds. He still had work to do. He headed for the tree line to dig a fake grave. He pushed the image of the hand in the bog away. He didn’t want to know why it was there—or who put it there. There was just one person who would, but he couldn’t face that now.

It was time for his punishment for saving Thomas from humiliation.

His father would add to Caleb’s scars.

Those scars Caleb could suffer with.

The scars of Rachel and his sons seared his heart forever.

Buy Links:

Purchase Book 2 in the Element Trilogy, A Hidden Element
Purchase Book 1 in the Element Trilogy, A Human Element

~~~

Other books in this series.

 A Human Element:

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Evil comes in many forms…

One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next.

Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite in her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a madman, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together.

But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his, and she has two choices—redeem him or kill him.

My 5 STAR Review of A Human Element

Ben is hiding from his parents on the shore of Coopersville Lake when it happens.

A meteorite crashes. What was once the sight of a dozen or so cabins, one of them containing his parents, is now only a huge crater of steam and fire. In one bright green flash, Ben’s life is forever changed and for another, it has just begun.

No one could know the long-reaching consequences of that fateful night. Or of the horrors to come.

9 months later.

A young girl struggles to bring her child into the world. She came to the doctor in secret. Not even the Armstrong’s, the kindly couple who took her in, know where she is. The doctor doesn’t know why the mysterious man waiting outside wants the baby, he just wants to get paid.

In a rush, the baby enters the world. Sadly, the young mother does not survive the delivery. But wait, another baby is fighting to be born, a twin, a beautiful baby girl.

An exchange is made. The mysterious man leaves with the thing, the baby boy, but the doctor doesn’t mention the girl. He will give her to the Armstrong’s to raise.

Many years later, the baby girl, Laura, is all grown up and back home to find out why the people closest to her are being slaughtered. The answer lies here. Laura has always had the headaches and nightmares and she knows things are coming together now – the monster chasing her in her nightmares, the mysterious man in black, who has always been on the periphery of her life, and whatever happened on the night of the meteorite. It is all connected.

Laura and Ben are thrown together as death races towards them. Both need answers about the night of the meteorite if they are to survive what is coming.

I want to keep telling you more. I’ve only scratched the surface of this story.

Two babies were born that night, Laura and the boy child called X-10. One looks human in every way and the other looks like a monster.

The many secondary characters made this story real for me.

Everybody should have a friend like Jim, a grumpy curmudgeon with a gentle soul and a fierce love and loyalty to Laura.

The Armstrong’s, Laura’s adoptive parents, who though they knew she was different, had special talents, loved her as their own.

The mysterious man in black, who has always been around, lurking in the shadows.

The cruel and sadistic Dr. Bjord, who thrills in tormenting X-10, his failed experiment.

And X-10, the monstrosity who’s only thought is getting out, finding Laura, and tearing her to pieces.

From the first page to the bitter-sweet end, I was totally immersed in this book. A story of wonder, love, humanity and absolute evil.

Donna Galanti’s debut novel has, at its core, an energy, an essence, that gives it life.

Superb writing and a thrilling all-out race to the end, A Human Element is an excellent read.

~~~

The Dark Inside (A Human Element)

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The Dark Inside

These short stories contain characters from A Human Element and the just released sequel, A Hidden Element.

So I’m issuing a mild spoiler alert.

The Well

It seems like no matter how hard he tries, Caleb can never be good enough in his father’s eyes. When he hears about the mission to the new world, he jumps at the chance to escape the dying planet and maybe get out from under his fathers disapproving control.

When his hopes are crushed, he’s devastated. And then his mother goes missing.

She’s disappeared without a trace.

The Well starts out being about Caleb and his conflicts with his father and his peers, and deepens into a mystery when his mother just vanishes. The author does a great job of misdirecting me, and I rushed to a wrong conclusion. This one is a deep, emotional read.

The First Time

X-10 is not going to give in. He’s not going to let the twisted Dr. Bjord control this experiment.

He’s scared of the human girl. Not for the usual reasons, but because he’s afraid he’ll give in to the rip, tear, kill, urges that are the base part of him.

It’s the first time X-10 has coupled with a female and he experiences some human emotions like nervousness, lust, and excitement. But can he control the monster inside, the one that needs to rend?

Donna, through her characters conversations, made the tentative bond between the monster and the prostitute endearing for me. I wanted things to be okay, wanted both of them to survive this experiment.

But she’s a prostitute, he’s a monster, and this is an experiment. A deadly one.

The Job

Felix is a Seeker. His partner, Maria, is all woman, all human.

He’s never felt attracted to her before, but he’s made a mistake. He’s let his guard down and things got messy. Now he has to clean it up.

I was surprised a couple of times with this one. Had a few, ‘what the???’ moments. This is twisted fun. Can’t help it. I sometimes laugh at the dark stuff.

Frat Night

Tara’s so excited. Tonight she’s going to do it with Jonah. She’s been lying to him, telling him she’s a virgin, so he’ll woo her, romance her. But she’s ready now. Tonight they’ll finally be together.

It was a beautiful spring night.

Kind of saw some of this coming, but still got a shock. I was grinning and thinking, yes!

The Tree of Sheltered Secrets

She was going to kill whoever did it. Whoever cut down her tree.

She’d spent her childhood hiding in that tree, escaping into her own world. It was the only happy memory in her miserable existence. And now someone had hacked it down. It felt like she’d been cut down too.

Someone had to pay.

I felt sorry for Hilary. She had a horrendous life and now the only thing good was gone. I felt her rage build and as I read on, I wanted someone to pay. Pay big!

The Beginning

They were seventy-five strong. Adrian and his crew silently entered the chosen town and quickly got what they needed with mind persuasion. No one realized the strangeness of these visitors.

But that wasn’t enough for Adrian. Oh no. He had to go and make it nasty, make two people do despicable things just for his pleasure.

He also made his son Caleb and the others watch. It was a warning and a lesson.

This one is so twisted. Adrian is a sick twist and I feel so sorry for Caleb. His hate for his father is changing him. Molding him. I hope he doesn’t follow in his fathers dark footsteps.

A Lucky Strike

Ben is all alone with his foster-father now. His foster-mother is now buried and Frank expects him to take over her duties. All of them.

As Ben fantasizes about ways to kill Frank, he knows it’s only a matter of time before things turn real ugly.

It’s time to flee, but has he waited too long?

I forgot this part in A Human Element. It’s disturbing and sad. You see where Ben came from, what he endured, what shaped him.

I’m surprised he survived at all.

Excerpt – A Human Element ~ Ben

This is an excerpt from A Human Element. It’s another short about Ben taking place later than in A Lucky Strike. I’ll give a tease and tell you what I got from it.

Ben had no business being in Hud’s Place.

“North of Hotel Street in Chinatown, or NoHo as it was called, carried its distinction as the known spot for prostitute action any time of the week. He swallowed the last of his beer and laughed to himself. SoHo could be a better name for the so-many-ho’s that could be had around here.”

He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have got so drunk. And he definitely shouldn’t have stepped into it with the Marines.

If he thinks the ass-kicking he just got from them was bad, the locals that get a hold of him, set him straight.

If it weren’t for the tall man, the familiar looking stranger with the bright green eyes, he’d be totally screwed.

Ben just keeps putting himself in bad situation after bad situation. I hate seeing him in the self-destruct mode.

I’m curious about the tall man, why is he always showing up at the worst times? Why is he following Ben?

Seeing a character falter, make bad moves and stupid ones, helps me connect with them, makes them human for me. I’m connected with Ben.

I enjoyed all of these stories. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be…..Ha! Not gonna tell ya!

The Dark Inside gets Five Stars from me. Each story is distinct and wrings out my emotions.

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Galanti, Donna smallcrop

About Donna:

Donna Galanti writes murder and mystery with a dash of steam as well as middle grade adventure fiction. She is the author of books 1 and 2 in the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy, A Human Element and A Hidden Element, the short story collection The Dark Inside, and Joshua and The Lightning Road (Books 1 and 2, 2015). She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. She now lives in Pennsylvania with her family in an old farmhouse. It has lots of writing nooks, fireplaces, and stink bugs, but she’s still wishing for a castle again—preferably with ghosts.

Connect With The Author:

Website  ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

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Giveaway:

Giveaway through end of 9/30. U.S. only.

  • 1 (#) winner(s) will receive [(1) Grand Thriller Prize: Bundle of 10 e-Books donated from these bestselling thriller authors David Morrell, Allison Brennan, M.J. Rose, Steve Berry, Eric Van Lustbader, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Doug Preston, Alan Jacobson, Allan Leverone, Jenny Milchman] (approximate retail value or “ARV”: $100)
  • 1 (#) winner(s) will receive [(1) Super Get Mind Blown Prize: 2 signed paperbacks by NY Times best selling author Heather Graham, The Following Season 1 on DVD, Book on Conspiracies & Secret Societies, Inception on DVD] (approximate retail value or “ARV”: $100)
  • 1 (#) winner(s) will receive [(1) $100 Amazon Gift Card] (approximate retail value or “ARV”: $100)
  • 1 (#) winner(s) will receive [(1) Bundle of 5 Thriller e-Books from Imajin Books authors] (approximate retail value or “ARV”: $100)
  • 1 (#) winner(s) will receive [(1) Paperback of Donna Galanti’s A Human Element, Book 1 in Element Trilogy] (approximate retail value or “ARV”: $100)
  • 1 (#) winner(s) will receive [(5) e-Book copies of Donna Galanti’s short story collection The Dark Inside] (approximate retail value or “ARV”: $100)

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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WWW Wednesday #41 ~ H2O, Cannibals, and a Serial Killer

Posted: September 17, 2014 in Fantasy, horror, Meme, suspense, thriller, WWW Wednesday
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WWW Wednesday

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Hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

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What are you currently reading?

AQUA

by M.A. George 

21806369

 

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Synopsis

Meet Layla McKelland:

Novelist (unpublished, but cut her some slack…seventeen is a bit early to despair), Slightly neurotic introvert (Alright, let’s be honest…there’s no “slightly” about it), International Woman of Mystery, and…

Okay, just scratch the bio.

The only real “mystery” in Layla’s life is why her father has never been on the scene. Or why her mother drags Layla to a new coastal home every year.

Nothing about the latest hometown seems too newsworthy…until a routine day at the beach leaves Layla questioning whether she’s read one too many paranormal fantasy novels. The plot thickens when a random guy claims to know things about her father—a bizarre claim he backs up with an equally impossible stunt. And Layla soon finds herself on the wrong side of a mysterious attempted drowning…on her own kitchen floor.

When all is done, Layla will attest that fact is far stranger than fiction. And nothing in real life is ever as transparent as it seems…Not even water.

Especially not water.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Eating Sarah

by Jaret Martens 

20555231

 

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Synopsis
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Ever since childhood, all Sarah wanted was to participate in the Hunt—a monthly ritual in which her people sneak into a nearby city to gather food. Only in Sarah’s world, that food is human.After her first Hunt ends in catastrophe, Sarah is forced to prepare their captives for slaughter. While this once would have been an easy task, recent events have caused Sarah to question whether or not she’s still capable of murder. Worse, she finds herself caring for Troy: a captive she knows she will be forced to kill.But she can’t leave. Doing so would mean the deaths of both Troy and her family. With cannibals turning up dead—and suspicions of mutiny rising—Sarah and her family must be more careful than ever.Yet there’s something not quite right about her family . . . Something that might just get her killed.
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What do you think you’ll read next?

Blood in the Paint

 Blood for Blood #1

by Jordanna East

20810004

 

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Synopsis

Ten Years Later…

Jillian Atford is a successful psychologist with a lavish office in Center City Philadelphia. Despite overcoming past trauma and anguish, she cannot shake loose from the feeling that her newest client reminds her of someone.

Lyla Kyle, an accomplished artist, lives a rather quiet life–except for nights when she lures married men into her tangled web and murders them, all in a never-ending quest to avenge her mother. Yet, the nightmares of her mother’s death prove unrelenting, leading her to seek professional help.

Jason Brighthouse Jr. is a young Philadelphia police officer who lives in his father’s shadow and is troubled by the constant ridicule that surrounds his ambition. As he sets out to make peace with his colleagues, he remains confident that the key to their respect lies in his ability to connect the recent spate of suspicious deaths to a certain dark-haired temptress. In a turn of events, he justifiably takes a man’s life while off-duty. Mandatory leave requires him to obtain psychological clearance prior to returning to the force.

As current circumstances bring them together and the truth of their pasts unfolds, who will be left standing?

Three lives. Three deaths connect them. The present unites them.

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So, whatcha readin?

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A killer in a small town ~Vision by Lisa Amowitz ~ Blitz Giveaway

Posted: September 10, 2014 in Blitz, giveaways, Paranormal or fantasy, thriller, YA
Tags: , ,
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Welcome to my stop on the blitz for Vision by Lisa Amowitz.
I’ve shared this book with you once before and I’m happy to share it again.
Make sure you add it to your TBR and don’t forget to enter the giveaway.
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Vision
by Lisa Amowitz 
Release Date: 09/09/14
Spencer Hill Press
Summary from Goodreads:
The light is darker than
you think… High school student Bobby Pendell already has his hands full—he works almost
every night to support his disabled-vet father and gifted little brother. Then
he meets the beautiful new girl in town, who just happens to be his boss’s
daughter. Bobby has rules about that kind of thing. Nothing matters more than
keeping his job.When Bobby starts to get blinding migraines that come with scary, violent hallucinations, his livelihood is on the line. Soon, he must face the stunning possibility that the visions of murder are actually real. With his world going dark, Bobby is set on the trail of the serial killer terrorizing his small town. With everyone else convinced he’s the prime suspect, Bobby realizes that he, or the girl he loves, might be killer’s next victim..

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Excerpt

Bobby stared at the evergreens reflected in the silvery water. He’d offered to bring Dad down here and carry him into the boat. He was certainly big enough to carry him now.

“Nope,” Dad had said flatly. “My fishing days are over. My ass is never getting in a boat again.”

With his work schedule, Bobby had never found time to teach his eleven-year old brother Aaron to swim, so that left him out.

Whatever. Dad drowned his troubles in beer and guitars. Bobby could never tell if people came to the Woods Café to see the wheelchair-bound vet strum his heart out because they enjoyed the music or to honor his sacrifice. Didn’t matter. At least it got Dad out of the house, and drummed up some business for Dad’s best friend, Jerry Woods.

Dealing with Dad wasn’t easy, but self-pity was a luxury Bobby couldn’t afford. Someone had to work, and bussing tables at the newly reopened Graxton Grill six nights a week left Bobby little time for anything else.

A loud splash from beside the boat jarred him from his drifting thoughts. He peered into the green depths, hoping to spot Mongo, Dad’s name for the legendary bass he had been trying to catch ever since he could hook a worm.

The dark waters stirred, pulling the boat slightly backward. Bobby dipped the oars into the water to paddle away from the disturbance, but the gently insistent pull kept him from making progress. The boat was being slowly dragged into some kind of current and had begun to pick up speed.

In his whole life, Bobby had never seen more than windblown ripples on Scratch Lake. Mongo was rumored to be huge, but he doubted striped bass grew large enough to churn up the waters like that.

Bobby thrust the oars into the water, paddling harder. The back of his head hurt. And the harder he rowed, the more his head throbbed like a dull drumbeat. A whirlpool was forming. No fish could ever disturb Scratch Lake like that.

Unnerved, Bobby yanked at the engine cord, but the motor only coughed, sputtered, and went quiet. The boat was captive to the steadily spinning water and Bobby could only squint helplessly into the depths as the headache hammered behind his eyes.

The lake’s center was rumored to be fifty feet deep. No one really knew, but as the boat sped in dizzying circles, Bobby could see clear down to the lake bottom inside the whirlpool’s tapered funnel. He gasped. Spread-eagled on the slimy rocks, on a bed of pond weeds, lay a pile of bones, a split, unmistakably human skull resting on the top.

Bobby swallowed hard, breathing fast and shallow.

It can’t be real. I’m not seeing this.

He’d been so eager to get on the lake that morning he’d forgotten to eat. And he should have. The headache was creeping to his eyes, and now he was seeing things. Feeling and experiencing things that couldn’t be happening.

The pile of bones at the bottom of the lake was as sharp and clear as a photo.

Nausea clutched his insides. His head felt like it was about to split open. Bobby clamped his eyes shut. Sucking in deep breaths, he tried to slow the rising panic and listened to his heart slam against his chest wall. He had to get a grip and get away before the water dragged him and his boat to the bottom of the lake.

This can’t be happening.

Was it a migraine? His mother had suffered from those.

But did migraines make people hallucinate?

In the distance, Pete’s barking bounced off the opposite shore. The ache at the back of his head now a white-hot knifepoint, Bobby paddled wildly to break free from the water’s pull, but he made no headway.

The boat continued to spin slowly at the edge of the vortex. Bobby tried to peer down into the whirlpool to make sure the horrible thing was gone, but his sight was filmed with a deep red overlay, a black smudge at its center, obliterating details and reducing the world to a featureless bloodstain.

No matter how many times he blinked, he couldn’t see the water that smacked against the metal flank of the boat. He could barely make out the dim outline of the hand he held up in front of his face.

What the—?

Shit.

The pain was too much. Again, he groped for the throttle and tugged at it three times, but still the damned engine wouldn’t catch.

The pain bore down on him, the red film thickening to a dark mass.

He couldn’t see at all. He could only feel the boat slowly spinning, stuck in the water’s strange rotation.

“Pete!” Bobby called out at the top of his lungs, “Pete!”

And then, as abruptly as it had started churning, he felt the water go still.

Pete’s nervous bark reverberated across the lake. Unable to see, Bobby dipped the oars into the water and began to paddle slowly toward the distant sound, praying he was headed in the right direction.

There’d be no fish for dinner this week.

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Available from:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo Books * The Book Depository

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About the Author

Lisa has been a professor of Graphic Design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children.
BREAKING GLASS which will be released in July, 2013 from Spencer Hill Press, is her first published work. VISION, the first of the Finder series will be released in 2014, along with an unnamed sequel in the following year. LIFE AND BETH will also be released in the near future, along with graphic novel style art. 

Author Links:

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GIVEAWAY:

One signed 1st Edition copy of Vision, some Vision Swag, and a signed poster of Lisa’s Designs (US Only)

Vision & Breaking Glass eBook (International)

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Book Blitz Organized by:
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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