Sandra Cox's Blog, page 309

Shoes

Whoever said shoes don't make the woman hasn't talked to Cinderella lately.

It Is

www.free-extras.comIt is what it is-----
Till it becomes what we make it

Tuesday's Child

[image error]

BLURB :

What she doesn't want…is exactly what he needs.

Shunned and ridiculed all her life for something she can't control, Samantha Blair hides her psychic abilities and lives on the fringes of society. Against her will, however, she's tapped into a killer—or rather, his victims. Each woman's murder, blow-by-blow, ravages her mind until their death releases her back to her body. Sam knows she must go to the authorities, but will the rugged, no-nonsense detective in charge of tracking down the killer believe her?

Detective Brandt Sutherland only trusts hard evidence, yet Sam's visions offer clues he needs to catch a killer. The more he learns about her incredible abilities, however, the clearer it becomes that Sam's visions have put her in the killer's line of fire. Now Brandt must save her from something he cannot see or understand…and risk losing his heart in the process.

As danger and d esire collide, passion raises the stakes in a game Sam and Brandt don't dare lose.

EXCERPT :

Lying in bed that night, Sam couldn't sleep, her overwrought mind refused to let up. The tantalizing possibility that she was meant to do something with this gift worried the frayed edges of her mind. Depressed and unsettled she fell into a fitful sleep, her dreams dark and disjointed pieces of past visions.

Screams jarred her from a deep sleep. Confusion turned to fear when Sam realized the horrific sounds were coming from her own mouth. Even worse, she had no idea where she was.

Terror overwhelmed her. Her fingers spasmed in a death grip around a strange steering wheel as the car she drove careened further out of control. Still trying to toss off the remnants of sleep, Sam yanked hard on the wheel in a futile attempt to turn it. The mid-sized car plowed through a steel barricade to hang suspended in midair before plummeting to the rocks below. Screams ripped from her throat and she reefed on the useless steering wheel, helpless to stop the deadly impact. Her foot pounded on useless brakes. The front grill of the car crumpled and metal buckled upward. The car smashed into the first of the rocks below, snapping her forward into the windshield. Agonizing pain shattered her spine. Grinding metal, exploding glass and continuous crunching sounds filled the air as first the bumper flew off, then the rear window shattered outward. Twisted metal ripped and groaned, flying to land beside the crash site. The car tumbled, smashed on a huge rock, careened to the left and flipped end over end before coming to a hard landing on its wheels at the bottom of the cliff.

Then utter silence.

Sam trembled. Shock and pain pulsed through her veins even as her blood dripped out one beat at a time onto the shredded seat beside her. God, she didn't want to die.

She wanted to live. Please, dear God.

Someone help!

Blood streamed over her face, her spine…where a shearing heat set off continuous stabbing pain. The steering wheel jammed into her ribs. The front dash had crumpled into a mess of twisted steel and plastic, the famous Mercedes emblem now hung drunk in mid air over the remains of the once beautiful cream leather seats.

Sam couldn't feel her right arm. And wished she couldn't feel her left. She closed her eyes, willing away the image of bone shards that had sliced through her sweater, a few loose strands of wool clinging to the ends. Heart wrenching sobs poured from her throat, tears coated her cheeks. She was alone. And dying.

A brilliant flash of light engulfed the car as the fuel from the pierced gas line flashed into flames. Heat seared her lungs and scorched her hair, the strands melting against the inside of her car window. Panicked, she screamed as flames licked at her feet, burning, and cooking the flesh right off her bones.

Agony. Pain. Terror.

A voice whispered through the blackness of her mind, so odd, so different it caught her attention. She strained to hear the words.

"Let go. It's time to let go."

Sam stared through the flames, stunned. Let go of what? She couldn't hear over the roaring fire and could barely see, but knowing that someone was there stirred her survival instinct, and she started fighting against the seatbelt jammed at her side. She was saved. Just another minute and they'd open the door and pull her free. She'd be fine.

"Please hurry," she cried out.

"Let go. You don't need to be in there. Let it all go, and come with me."

She peered through the golden orange windshield to see a strange male face peering at her through the flames.

He smiled.

"Come with me."

"I want to, damn it. Can't you see I'm trapped?" she screamed, her vocals crisping in the heat.

"Release yourself. Come with me. Say yes."

The pain hit a crescendo. She twisted against it, hearing her spine splinter. The car seat melted into her skin. So much pain, she couldn't breathe. Blackness crowded into her mind, blessed quiet, soothing darkness. She reached for it.

"Let it go. You don't need to go through this. Hurry."

She started. Why wasn't he opening the door or getting others to help? He should be trying to save her. Shouldn't he? Sam, so confused and so tired, she could barely feel the pain overtaking her body. Where had he gone? She tried to concentrate. His face was now only a vague outline that rippled with the heat waves. A soft smile played at the corner of his mouth. The flames burned around him, weird as they centered him in the warm glow. She wanted to be with him. To live.

"Here, take my hand."

Dazed and on the brink of death, Sam focused on the hand reaching for her. She struggled to raise the charred piece of flesh that had been her arm and reached out to grasp his.

She was free.

Overwhelmed, cries of relief escaped. She turned to hug her savior, her head just reaching his shoulder. He stood beside her, the same radiant beaming look on his face. His blond hair glowed, and he had the brightest teeth. She sighed. This beautiful man pointed to her right arm. Confused, Sam glanced down at her burned arm, realizing she could feel none of her injuries. Just like her other one, her broken arm had miraculously healed – whole, smooth and soft. Her skin hadn't looked this good in ten years.

Realization hit.

She spun around to find a massive fireball below. What the hell? She had to be dead. But instead of the horror or shock, she expected to feel, she felt good. In fact, she felt great. She turned to the ever-smiling stranger.

"Let's go sweetheart."

Sam didn't know why he'd called her that, but she bloomed under his loving gaze. Honestly, she was so damned grateful to be out of the car, she let him get away with it.

Holding hands, they floated higher into the cloudless blue sky. Then when the crash site below had become a tiny speck, Sam felt a hard flick on her arm and the words, "Thanks, but I can take it from here."

And she woke up.

BUY LINKS :

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Tuesdays-Child-Psychic-Visions-ebook/dp/B0056I5M22/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318799904&sr=8-2

Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tuesdays-child-dale-mayer/1104562657?ean=2940011406607&itm=4&usri=tuesday27s%2bchild

All Romance eBooks - http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-tuesday039schildbook1ofpsychicvisions-569718-140.html

REVIEWS :

"This book grabbed me from the get-go and never let up! The story unfolds brilliantly, transporting the reader on a horrific journey. This mesmerizing horror-thriller is a must-read for any fan of the genre." ~Laurie - Reviewer for Night Owl Reviews

"I place TUESDAY'S CHILD in my top ten reads of the year and I have no doubt you will enjoy this book just as much as I did!" ~Neis - Reviewer from The Romance Reviews

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Dale Mayer is a prolific multi-published writer. She's best known for Tuesday's Child, her romantic suspense novel that was one of the final four in the Kensington Brava/Romantic Times contest this last year. Besides her romantic suspense/thrillers, Dale also writes paranormal romance and crossover young adult books in several different genres. To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series in ebook format.

To find out more about Dale and her books, visit her at http://www.dalemayer.com. Or connect with her online with Twitter at www.twitter.com/dalemayer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dalemayer.author

Books by Dale Mayer:

Psychic Vision Series

Tuesday's Child

Hide'n Go Seek

Maddy's Floor- out soon

Young Adult Books

Dangerous Designs – Book I

Vampire in Denial – Book I of Blood Ties

Gem Stone Mystery Series- out soon

In Cassie's Corner- soon

Non-Fiction Books

Career Essentials: The Resume

Career Essentials: The Cover Letter

Career Essentials: The Interview

Career Essentials: 3 in 1

Contest:

For a chance to win a copy of TUESDAY'S CHILD, leave a message with your email address.

Ouija Boards

Remember Ouija Boards? My friends and I were fascinated by them when I was in high school. Since Halloween is approaching and since a Ouija board makes an appearance in my current wip, I thought I'd go over the rules and regs in case some of you haven't played or don't remember.
1. The sun on the top left represents good spirits.
2. The moon on the top right represents evil spirits.
3. Two people lay their fingers gently on the planchette. If a third person is present, have them take notes.
4. The first question to ask is, 'Ouija are you there?' Ask it until the planchette points to yes.
5. Electronic devices should be turned off, so they don't block the electronic impulses of the spirits trying to communicate.
6. Ask who you are talking to.
7. Only ask one question at a time.
8. Don't let the planchette drop from the Ouija Board. This can let loose a spirit.
9. Don't use the Ouija Board when you are feeling sick or weak, this makes you vulnerable to possession. Also don't use it in a graveyard.
10. When you are ready to end the session do not take your fingers from the planch ette until the spirit has said goodbye. The planchette will move to the word good bye.
11. Close the board properly, so malevolent spirits don't remain behind.
12. Don't ever try to burn a Ouija Board. If you must destroy it, break it into seven pieces, sprinkle it with holy water then bury it.
13.....Did you know the original Ouija boards were made from the wood of coffins........
~*~
Blogs of interest:
Anny Cook
Amarinda Jones
Julia Barrett

Odd Body Parts

I'm blogging today at Amarinda Jones on odd body part facts.

Changing Seasons

I took this while we were in the mountains the other weekend. I'd love to see Maine and New England in the fall, but nature puts on quite a show here too.

Sunday Afternoon

[image error]
This is how the critters spent their Sunday afternoon at the Cox household. The lazy bums:)Maggie, the dog is fourteen. The gray kitty on the right is seventeen.
Did you have a good weekend? Do anything exciting? The HH and I went to the walking park. Our motivation--ice cream when we finish our walk. I keep telling myself the ice cream has nothing to do with my recent weight gain.......

I Cannot Live Without Books

I cannot live without books~Thomas Jefferson





Doesn't it make you wonder what his preference would be today? Would Thomas Jefferson prefer paper or e? And if e would he carry an ipad or a reader?

Word for the Day: Outlier

I just ran across the word Outlier for the first time today. Don't you love it? It's going on my future titles list. Seriously, wouldn't it make a great book title?

What does Outlier mean? An outlier basically skews numbers. Its the sample maximum and sample minimum. In writers parlance, example of outliers might be: Stephen King, Norah Roberts, James Patterson and Stephanie Meyer. Wikipedia, says ' In statistics, an outlier is an observation that is numerically distant from the rest of the data. Yup that still fits in our writer's scenario.

Okay, what are the causes of outliers? As far as our author outliers, I'd have to say damn fine writing, though that wasn't mentioned on Wiki:) One of Wikipedia's thoughts: A sample may have been contaminated with elements from outside the population being examined. Hmm, translation, our author outliers must think outside the box.

Wiki talked about 'fat tails' in outliers non normal distribution. Nope not touching that one other than to say its a large skew. Or maybe that should be large tales?

I'm going to end with another Wiki quote on outliers that I felt was apropos to our top notch writers:

"Caution:Unless it can be ascertained that the deviation is not significant, it is ill-advised to ignore the presence of outliers. Outliers that cannot be readily explained demand special attention."

Information on the word outlier found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlier
Picture from:
www.i-love-cats.com

Outlier

I just ran across the word Outlier for the first time today. Don't you love it? It's going on my future titles list. Seriously, wouldn't it make a great book title?

What does Outlier mean? An outlier basically skews numbers. Its the sample maximum and sample minimum. In writers parlance, example of outliers might be: Stephen King, Norah Roberts, James Patterson and Stephanie Meyer. Wikipedia, says ' In statistics, an outlier is an observation that is numerically distant from the rest of the data. Yup that still fits in our writer's scenario.

Okay, what are the causes of outliers? As far as our author outliers, I'd have to say damn fine writing, though that wasn't mentioned on Wiki:) One of Wikipedia's thoughts: A sample may have been contaminated with elements from outside the population being examined. Hmm, translation, our author outliers must think outside the box.

Wiki talked about 'fat tails' in outliers non normal distribution. Nope not touching that one other than to say its a large skew. Or maybe that should be large tales?

I'm going to end with another Wiki quote on outliers that I felt was apropos to our top notch writers:

"Caution:Unless it can be ascertained that the deviation is not significant, it is ill-advised to ignore the presence of outliers. Outliers that cannot be readily explained demand special attention."

Information on the word outlier found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlier
Picture from:
www.i-love-cats.com