C.A. Milson's Blog, page 183
August 18, 2016
VBT ~ THE GRASS SWEEPER GOD
The Grass Sweeper God
by Doug Howery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Historical Fiction
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BLURB:
Sixteen-year-old Smiley Hanlon is a young woman tethered to a young man’s body. In the 1950’s Appalachia coal fields of Solitude, Virginia, Smiley is placed in the “Mentally Retarded Class” because he is effeminate and wears a blouse and saddle shoes to school.
Smiley is backed by his best friend, Lee Moore who protects Smiley from a father and many townspeople who hate him. Smiley has dreams of becoming an entertainer. Raised by his aunt in a juke joint, as a child Smiley sings and dances on the Formica bar top into the wee hours. Chosen as the female lead, Dorothy, in a new town production called Dorothy of Oz Coal Camp, his dream is being realized. The triumph of the play and his dream is sabotaged by his father and classmate bullies culminating in a tragic and horrific moment that changes both Smiley and Lee, forever.
Smiley and Lee flee to NYC. They learn that prejudice is prejudice whether in the coal fields of Virginia or on the streets of NYC. Smiley suffers at the hands of his real mother who is a religious zealot. She tries to change who Smiley is because he is a boil on the body of Christ. Lee suffers at the hands of psychologists who practice Aversion Therapy-electric shock treatment to cure his homosexuality.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Both Smiley and Lee become forces of change as do countless others. In 1969, Smiley Hanlon and his friend, Lee emerge as leaders of a gay revolution, the historical Stonewall Riots. The riots are vicious but the real battle will be won or lost on another continent: Solitude, Virginia.
The Grass Sweeper God is a force of nature that flows through all things…straightens out that which is bent…which is sick…
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BOOK EXCERPT
This godforsaken place was the backwoods of Appalachia coal mining country. And being sixteen meant a cultured age of about ten or twelve, really. Especially if you were retarded and rode the short bus. This meant riding a school bus designated specifically as the retarded kids’ bus, but it also meant boarding normal kids alongside retards at each bus stop. The only real specificity: If you were trapped inside the wrong body—if you were a young man who wanted to be a young woman—you were the bull’s eye in the kids’ cross-hairs because you were the biggest, retarded mongoloid excrement of ‘em all, really. Excrement being too proper of a word: Specifically you got the ‘cultured’ and ‘godforsaken’ shit kicked outtaya every school day by retards and rednecks. Proper language left this place along with any civility once branded as a retarded freak, really. Indifference to proper language and civility ruled the day, and brutality beat the night.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
DOUG HOWERY has been writing both fiction and essays since 1990. His essays and familial stories have appeared in The Blue Ridge Lambda Press.
In many of his stories, as in “The Grass Sweeper God,” Mr. Howery’s true lode, his font of inspiration is in the passion and suffering he has experienced.
Author, Doug Howery penned the novel with insight into his own struggle for sexual identity and personal tragedy. His mother committed suicide in 1982, blaming her two sons’ sexual identity in a letter and declaring herself a martyr for intolerance and social bigotry. She referred to her own sons as “Gutter Rats that Could Rot in Hell” and represents the hate and mistrust that have plagued society.
Suspense author, Maggie Grace, with the North Carolina Writers’ Network writes about her cohort Mr. Howery: “What I like is the riskiness, the cutting edge of the narrative voice we hear. The moments when he lapses into descriptions of the moon, of the horse, etc. are true poetry that offers some relief from the coarseness of the story, and he places them well. He has an ear for the rhythm of the story, a natural sense of when to end–hangs fire with a new way of looking at someone or something, turning the entire chapter on its ear. I like the way he makes it impossible for the reader to stop reading at the end of the chapter.”
Mr. Howery lives in Virginia with his partner of 34 years where he is at work on his next novel.
Links:
Buy @ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Grass-Sweeper-God-Doug-Howery-ebook/dp/B00JMVE036?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/dhowery1
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8087260.Doug_Howery
Book Website:
http://www.dhowery-book.com
Book Video Trailer:
https://youtu.be/Bz6bNcZ6p4E
Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-howery-90bb975a
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Doug Howery will be awarding a $25.00 Amazon GC and an autographed copy of the book to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please note geographical restrictions apply. United States only for the physical prize.
Enter to win a $25 GC and an autographed book – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/07/vbt-grass-sweeper-god-by-doug-howery.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doug, thanks for being my guest. Tell us about you.
What makes me who I am?: Being true to myself. I draw on past experiences, negative and positive. One must learn from one’s mistakes and grow. My day job is a biological farmer. I grow microorganisms to treat waste.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
I would hang out with Truman Capote. Because, I would love to have him as a writing mentor.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
The storyline follows an Appalachian coal mining family who must come to terms with two sons’ sexual identity (gay). While the nation must come to terms with societal sexual identity change on a historic paradigm—The NYC Gay Stonewall Riots of 1969.
What is your writing process?
I have no process. When I feel creative, I write. I work full time and schedule my writing around that schedule. I like solitude when writing.
Tell us about your main character:
My main character is transgender while struggling in the coal camp town of Solitude, Virginia in the 1950s. He is brutalized on a daily basis because he is effeminate. He will not bow to the “normalcy” that surrounds him. Through all the trials and tribulations, she (Permelia Corn alas Smiley Hanlon) becomes a leader of the NYC Stonewall Gay Riots of 1969.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
Jessica Lange because she could bring a main character (Lettie) to real life.
What are you working on next?
I am in the process of adapting my novel into screenplay.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Learn social media. You have to spend money to market the work. But learn to spend wisely. Unless you’re a media expert, there will be gains and losses. It is hard to get to #1 on Amazon. You have to learn the arithmetic as to how Amazon rates books in the que. I suggest hiring a specialist at first. It was complicated for me. And then getting it to stay @ #1 is impossible for me. I’m still learning.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
The Color Purple
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
Gardening
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
Reading peoples’ minds because then I would understand “motive.” Writing is a lot to do with ‘motive.’
List 5 things on your bucket list:
To be more positive
Not to fear
Pay it forward
Write my screenplay
Learn something new everyday
Any final thoughts?
Just write.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bookexcerpt, #dhowery1, Doug Howery, Goddess Fish Promotions, The Grass Sweeper God
August 15, 2016
VBT ~ Throne of Lies
About the Book
Title: Throne of Lies
Author: Sara Secora
Genre: Fantasy
As a seventeen-year-old ruler chafing under the obligations of her bloodline, Princess Amethysta Serelle finds the royal life anything but enchanting.
Betrothed to a nefarious highborn, Amethysta’s heart mourns her lost chance at love—that is, until she becomes mesmerized by someone other than her suitor, and her heart begins to beat anew.
Desperate to keep her daughter on the path toward duty and the throne, the queen keeps a deadly secret. But as Amethysta balances the burden of expectations and freedom, the glowing, blue truth will not stay hidden for much longer.
Desire and duty battle on, further complicated by strange occurrences happening to Amethysta’s body. She struggles for control as her once unquestioned reality is obliterated.
Will she discover the truth, in her heart and hands, before it’s too late?
Author Bio
Sara Secora has a passion for all things gamer and nerdy, as evidenced on her YouTube channel, AviGaming. She is also a well-branded voice over artist.
Secora has always been in love with writing, and in 2007 she turned her talents to the arduous endeavor of authoring an exciting fantasy trilogy. Her whimsical stories are full of enchantment, mystique, and insight—destined to intrigue readers of any age.
Secora lives in Detroit, Michigan, where she continues to explore old and new avenues for her talent and hard work.
To learn more, please visit:
www.SaraSecora.com
Links
www.sarasecora.com
https://www.facebook.com/AmethystaSeries/
https://twitter.com/sarasecora
Book Excerpt
I, Amethysta Serelle, was the final member of the royal family and the sole heir of Northwind. I attempted to defy my destiny at each turn, desperate to break free from my royal bonds. Although I knew it to be futile, I thrashed against them; I believed that doing so was the one thing that kept my sanity intact. All I’d ever wanted was to choose my own path in life instead of just fulfilling a role that had been planned for me since before my birth. Couldn’t my father see I was unfit for the burden of the crown? I couldn’t be the only one to see it—after this morning, I was sure that everyone I’d passed on my way to breakfast agreed with me.
Picking up my spoon, I scooped up some melons and berries and took a bite. But the sweetness of the fruit was nullified by my sour mood. Each day felt more daunting and more overshadowed by thoughts of the future. Being conditioned to become what I’d never wanted to be, while being obligated to leave behind my dreams and bequeathed the crown—that was all that awaited me.
The life of a princess wasn’t what fairytales make it out to be: it was far less glamourous. The reality was that I spent my days locked away inside my cramped tower, under guard wherever I might go. I was not allowed basic things such as friendship. I truly felt more like a prisoner than a royal. The salt in the wound was that each day was painfully similar to the last; the repetition was enough to drive anyone to brink of insanity. See, being royal required one to cast aside all of their pesky dreams, along with their freedom—to dedicate their lives to their duty and to the people without a second thought. For some reason or another, I just couldn’t find my footing within this life. I’d always felt out of place, like I simply didn’t belong.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #sarasecora, Enchanted book promotions, Sara Secora, Throne of Lies
August 14, 2016
Release Blitz ~ Acadia’s Revenge
About the Book
Title: Acadia’s Revenge (Undying Love, Book Two)
Author: Tracy Ellen
Genre: Scifi/ Apocalypse Romance
Acadia’s Revenge: Book Two, Undying Love Series by Tracy Ellen
Heart pumping action and toe-curling love, Acadia’s Revenge: Book Two, Undying Love Series is a science fiction/apocalypse-romance guaranteed to keep you up late into the night reading!
Acadia King hadn’t once thought the catastrophe she’d predicted and diligently spent years preparing for would be a zombie apocalypse, nor had she ever imagined surviving a global pandemic would be easy. But, incredible or not, that time had come and over one hundred people had fled their homes to seek protection from the infected at King Farm, along with one impossibly gorgeous, insanely sexy, much too young, pro football player.
Acadia is damn sure defending against those homicidal crazies is her number one priority, and not her Jerry Springer-esque personal issues of Rod “Ram” Ramaldi inexplicably proclaiming his forever love. The hot football player might be driving her crazy with desire, but Acadia steadfastly ignores her personal relationship with him to focus entirely on the defense of their safe haven. Her grim determination to ignore Rod works only all too well. Then tragedy strikes. At an unbearably brutal cost, Acadia discovers Tryg Johnson, the psychopathic leader of the Iron Fists biker gang, escaped the infected and wants Acadia back in the worst way. Now Acadia is all about getting personal, and about getting revenge!
You don’t want to miss out on Acadia’s Revenge: Book Two, Undying Love Series, available wherever eBooks are sold. Acadia’s Apocalypse, Book Three in the series is coming your way October 2016!
(Tracy Ellen recommends reading Acadia’s Law, Book One in the Undying Love Series first, so you’ve experienced all the heart-stopping, sexy action leading up to Acadia’s Revenge!)
Preorder your copy today at select bookseller sites.
Author Bio
Tracy Ellen was born in Indiana to middle-class parents, the third out of five hellions. She often used her supernatural powers to compel her family members to listen to her talk and tell stories. When that tough crowd laughed of their own free will, Tracy knew the world would someday, somehow be her stage. Now she’s a full-time writer living her dream. Tracy’s resided in the Midwest her whole life–in a small town, on a farm, and in the big city. Currently, she lives in the suburbs of St Paul, Minnesota with her husband and family. Stay in touch by checking out Tracy’s website, and then signing up for her monthly newsletter to be notified of new books coming your way, giveaways, and exclusive content. She also has a fetish about giving fun surprise gifts to her lovely newsletter members every edition. (Hint: She hopes that entices you to her website.) http://www.tracyellenink.com/getthenews
Teaser
Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TracyEllenauthor/?ref=hl
Newsletter: http://www.tracyellenink.com/getthenews
Buy the Book
Amazon
iBooks
Kobo
Smashwords
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: Acadia's Revenge, Enchanted book promotions, Tracy Ellen
August 11, 2016
VBT ~ Clementina
Clementina
by Simon Cann
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GENRE: Crime Thriller
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BLURB:
Leathan Wilkey has been hired to babysit Clementina, a seventeen-year-old whose rich daddy is going through a messy divorce and is over-compensating.
Leathan soon tires of her spending habits, her selfie obsession, and her social media preoccupation as his ward drags him from shop to boutique to jeweler, approaching each with the self-possession that comes from a lifetime of getting her own way and never once having to worry about money.
But when Clementina snaps her fingers and her boyfriend doesn’t come running, something is up. He doesn’t appear because he’s been murdered.
When Leathan investigates, he finds that the boyfriend has no background and met Clementina through a connection made by daddy’s business partner.
Daddy’s business partner who has been slowly and progressively putting daddy in a vice, grabbing more of the business, and who is now menacing Clementina directly to manipulate daddy.
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BOOK EXCERPT
Clementina was clearly offended.
Offended by my apparently uncouth utterance. Offended that I was not paying due reverence. Offended that I was thinking money, when I should be appreciating the art. Offended in the way that only a seventeen-year-old can be offended.
She was able simultaneously to be both a child and a world-weary adult. Neither of whom was accepting of my situation; both of whom were deeply saddened by my obvious circumstances.
She was saddened that I could live in a world like this.
Some people are saddened about famine in Africa. Some are saddened about wars or religious fundamentalists imposing their unyielding doctrines on populations, killing and mutilating children and innocent adults. Clementina was saddened and offended—on my behalf—that the world of jewelry and the exquisite pleasure of fine gems set in delicate pieces of lovingly shaped precious metal had been withheld from me.
She knew—as only one who had been indoctrinated into the secret society knew—that if I had been exposed to the world of bijouterie, then I would appreciate the treat that was waiting for me.
What she didn’t know was that I hated being patronized by seventeen-year-olds. Even if their father was paying me. Not that her father and I had actually done anything as tedious as agreeing a fee.
Or meeting.
Or talking. Even on the phone.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Simon Cann is the author of the Boniface, Montbretia Armstrong, and Leathan Wilkey series of books.
In addition to his fiction, Simon has written a range of music-related and business-related books, and has also worked as a ghostwriter.
Before turning full-time to writing, Simon spent nearly two decades as a management consultant, where his clients included aeronautical, pharmaceutical, defense, financial services, chemical, entertainment, and broadcasting companies.
He lives in London.
Website: http://simoncann.com
The book will be free on Amazon from Monday 25 July to Friday 29 July (inclusive).
B/N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clementina-simon-cann/1123925440
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Clementina-Leathan-Wilkey-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01FZJEDW6/ref=sr_1_6
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/simoncannauthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/simonpcann
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Simon Cann: interview 13
If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?
The ability to influence people to buy my books.
What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?
My shaky understanding of the rules of grammar.
When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?
I don’t start with a feature—I start with what the person wants. I look to what drives the individual. Looks, relationships, jobs, social station are all secondary to whatever drives a character.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Without hesitation: a plotter. And quite a detailed plotter…
Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?
Paris is always colder than I expect.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bookexcerpt, #simonpcann, Clementina, Goddess Fish Promotions, Simon Cann
August 10, 2016
Creatives On The Couch with author Max Davine
A new episode of Creatives On The Couch is now online. This week our guest is Max Davine.
http://www.c31.org.au/episodes/4437
Filed under: filming, TV Series Trailers Tagged: Authors, C31 Melbourne, Creatives On The Couch, Max Davine, Talk Show, TV series
August 3, 2016
VBT ~ FRIEND OF THE DEVIL
Friend of the Devil
by Mark Spivak
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GENRE: Thriller
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BLURB:
In 1990 some critics believe that America’s most celebrated chef, Joseph Soderini di Avenzano, sold his soul to the Devil to achieve culinary greatness. Whether he is actually Bocuse or Beelzebub, Avenzano is approaching the 25th anniversary of his glittering Palm Beach restaurant, Chateau de la Mer, patterned after the Michelin-starred palaces of Europe.
Journalist David Fox arrives in Palm Beach to interview the chef for a story on the restaurant’s silver jubilee. He quickly becomes involved with Chateau de la Mer’s hostess, unwittingly transforming himself into a romantic rival of Avenzano. The chef invites Fox to winter in Florida and write his authorized biography. David gradually becomes sucked into the restaurant’s vortex: shipments of cocaine coming up from the Caribbean; the Mafia connections and unexplained murder of the chef’s original partner; the chef’s ravenous ex-wives, swirling in the background like a hidden coven. As his lover plots the demise of the chef, Fox tries to sort out hallucination and reality while Avenzano treats him like a feline’s catnip-stuffed toy.
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BOOK EXCERPT
He stepped down from the womb of the 727 onto the stubby metal stairway and descended slowly onto the asphalt of the old Palm Beach Airport, like a child sticking a toe into a hot bath.
The first thing he noticed was the light. By the time he reached the tarmac, it hurt his eyes. It was opaque and shining, milky white and brilliant.
As his feet touched the bottom, a coffee-colored hand plucked the bag from his grasp.
“Mr. Fox?” The teeth were almost as bright as the light reflecting against the pavement.
“Guilty.”
“Welcome to Palm Beach. West Palm, to be precise.” The voice was cool and melodious, with a Jamaican lilt. “We gladly cross the river to welcome our distinguished guests and ferry them to the other shore.” He extended his hand toward the terminal, smiling broadly. “Come, sir. Your chariot awaits.”
The woman stood next to the limousine, sticking out of the asphalt like an exotic tree. She wore a black leather jacket, and a short, black leather skirt, cut on the bias to give her a schoolgirl look. She was smirking.
She has gorgeous skin, was his first thought, smooth enough to lick. Then there was her hair: jet black, cropped short, spiked liberally with mousse, standing straight up as if from an electrical charge. I am so beautiful that I can mutilate my hair and you will still crave me, she seemed to say. I can masquerade as Elvis Costello and you will still crawl across the runway to worship me.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Mark Spivak is an award-winning writer specializing in wine, spirits, food, restaurants and culinary travel. He was the wine writer for the Palm Beach Post from 1994-1999, and was honored by the Academy of Wine Communications for excellence in wine coverage “in a graceful and approachable style.” Since 2001 has been the Wine and Spirits Editor for the Palm Beach Media Group; his running commentary on the world of food, wine and spirits is available at the Global Gourmet blog on http://www.palmbeachillustrated.com. He is the holder of the Certificate and Advanced diplomas from the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Mark’s work has appeared in National Geographic Traveler, Robb Report, Men’s Journal, Art & Antiques, the Continental and Ritz-Carlton magazines, Arizona Highways and Newsmax. He is the author of Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History (Lyons Press, 2012) and Moonshine Nation: The Art of Creating Cornbread in a Bottle (Lyons Press, 2014). His first novel, Friend of the Devil, is published by Black Opal Books.
Website: http://www.markspivakbooks.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/friend-of-the-devil-mark-spivak/1123858106?
https://www.amazon.com/Friend-Devil-Mark-Spivak/dp/1626944520/ref
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Mark will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $20 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/06/blurb-blitz-friend-of-devil-by-mark.html
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bookexcerpt, FRIEND OF THE DEVIL, Goddess Fish Promotions, Mark Spivak
August 1, 2016
VBT ~ KILLER PURSUIT
We’re happy to be hosting Jeff Gunhus’ KILLER PURSUIT Virtual Book Tour today! Jeff is giving away a grand prize of a $25 Amazon Gift Card and one autographed paperback plus four runners up will receive an autographed paperback copy of his book! Enter below and leave a comment at this blog for five extra points!
Title:
KILLER PURSUIT
Author: Jeff Gunhus
Publisher: Seven Guns Press
Pages: 352
Genre: Thriller
When a high-society call girl is
murdered in her Georgetown home, investigators find two cameras hidden in the walls
of her bedroom. One has its memory erased, presumably by the murderer. The
second is connected to the Internet through an encrypted connection…and
no-one knows who’s on the other end.
Special Agent Allison McNeil is
asked by beleaguered FBI Director Clarence Mason to run an off-the-record
investigation of the murder because of the murder’s similarity to a case she
worked a year earlier. Allison knows the most direct path to apprehending the
killer is to find the videos, but the rumors that the victim’s client list may
have included Mason’s political enemies has her worried about the director’s
motives. As she starts her investigation, she quickly discovers that she’s not
the only one pursuing the videos. In fact, the most aggressive person racing
against her might be the murderer himself.
For More
Information
Killer
Pursuit is available at Amazon.
Discuss
this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Book Excerpt:
Allison
McNeil tensed when she spotted the first shadow dart through the mist and take
cover behind a tree. In the early-morning light it took her a while to pick out
all six members of the Hostage Rescue Team approaching the cabin, but within a
minute she could clearly see the tactical team converging on their target.
The small building stood on a rise, up from the swampy,
flood-prone land around it. Wood-slated walls tilted precariously inward,
twisting the windows into deformed rectangles. Moss and dead leaves covered the
roof. The place smelled and looked like decay, well on its way to inevitable
reclamation by the weeds and vines choking the cabin to a miserable death.
And, if
Allison was right, the place deserved what it got. Hell, if she was right, she
had half a mind to take a match to the place after everything was done.
She hunkered
down behind a fallen tree, her head barely clearing the top to see the building
and the team closing in. A trickle of sweat started at the base of her neck and
went the length of her spine. She adjusted the Kevlar vest, under her light
windbreaker emblazoned with large yellow letters. FBI. It felt ridiculous to
wear the windbreaker when it was in the ’80s before daybreak with the Louisiana humidity
hovering at about a thousand percent, but if it meant that the hotheads with
assault rifles could more easily identify her as a friendly, then she was happy
to have it.
Garret Morrison shifted his weight next to
her, stretching out a leg and rubbing his knee. She gave him a sideways look.
“You all right?” she whispered.
He scowled at her. They both knew she didn’t
give a damn about him. The comment was intended as a dig at the
fifty-three-year-old Garret who prided himself on being in better shape than
the agents beneath him. Even though he ran the Behavioral Analysis Unit, home
of the FBI’s fabled profilers who spent more time in the heads of the criminals
they chased than in the field, he required an aggressive physical program for
his people. Everything about Morrison is a throwback to the old male-dominated
Bureau. A slicked-back head of hair with just the right amount of grey to lend
him gravitas without making him look old, a square jaw out of a mountaineering
magazine, cold steel-blue eyes that seemed to look through people instead of at
them. Unless they were trained on an attractive female, in which case his eyes
gave their full attention to the area below the chin and above the
waistline.
“Worry about yourself,” Garret grumbled. He
turned to Doug Browning, a junior agent who followed Garret around like a
little puppy. “Jesus, Doug. Not so close.”
Allison turned back to the cabin and raised
her binoculars, not bothering to hide the smile on her lips. Garret was a
legend in the Bureau for his work hunting America’s worst
criminals, but Allison’s own legend had grown since her work on the Arnie
Milhouse case a year earlier. While that case had given her credibility, she
knew she was just as likely to be referred to as the woman who’d broken Garret
Morrison’s nose when he’d made one too many unwanted advances while she was a
trainee. And, while she wanted to be known for her work, she didn’t mind that
piece of fame following her around.
“Alpha team in position,” said a voice
through the small speaker in her ear. She noticed Garret put a finger to the
side of his head and nod. He looked over at her.
“You better be right about this,” he
whispered.
Allison shook her head. For all his
brilliance—and, regardless of how she felt personally about him, she recognized
that he was brilliant—Garret’s
transparency could border on the inane. What he was really saying was that if
the lunatic Allison’s research had tracked to this location wasn’t holed up in
this backwoods cabin, if the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team had been activated and
deployed for no reason, then the blame would drop on her like a bag of bricks.
If Sam Kraw was in there, Allison knew it would be Garret standing in front of
the cameras taking credit for the HRT mission and the capture of America’s most
wanted fugitive.
She pushed the thought away. As long as they
caught the bastard and ended his multi-year killing spree in the Southeast, she
didn’t give a damn who got the credit.
Allison moved her binoculars. The tactical
team was in place around the cabin, peering through scopes with infrared
capabilities. If there was someone hiding in the shadows of a window or
doorway, they wouldn’t be hiding for long.
On some signal unseen by Allison, the men
began a steady, crouched advance to the building. She realized she was holding
her breath so she blew out her air slowly between pinched lips.
“Relax, McNeil,” Garret muttered. “You’re
making me nervous.”
The two members of the tactical squad
approaching from the front reached the deck that wrapped around the front of
the building. As they strode across it, the old wood floorboards groaned. The
men froze. The seconds stretched out. Allison became suddenly aware of the hum
of insects in the air around her. The dampness of her own skin. The sound of a
bird calling in the distance. All of her senses were wired tight. An entire
year of her life was wrapped up in the next few seconds. And if she’d got it
wrong, Garret would have the ammo he’d been looking for to get her out of his
unit once and for all. But she wasn’t worried about herself. What really
bothered her was the chance that she had it right, that this was Kraw’s hideout,
but that somehow they’d spooked him and he’d already slipped away. If that had
happened, he’d be hundreds of miles away by tomorrow, scouting for his next
victim as he traveled.
Movement in the cabin. Just a flutter. Like
a bird trapped in a cage. Only her intuition told her it was more than a bird.
It had been an arm. A human arm. Sam Kraw.
Based on the lack of movement from the
tactical team, she realized no one else had seen it.
“I’ve got movement,” she whispered into her
mic. “Window to the right of the front door. An arm.”
“I didn’t see anything,” Garret
whispered.
Allison ignored him. The men around the
cabin responded immediately, reorienting to the front door. Guns pointed at the
window.
One of the men produced a miniram, a high
impact, brute force breaching tool. Coordinating with his partner, he crouched
next to the door while the other man readied a flash-bang grenade.
There was a pause, as if someone had pressed
a button on a TV remote. Everyone was in place. The air seemed to still as if the
world knew something was about to happen. Allison had her binoculars trained on
the window where she’d seen the movement. If Kraw was inside, then the
nightmare was almost over. She’d know in a few seconds whether that was the
case or not.
But in that second, she saw the movement
again.
Only this time, she knew something was
wrong.
It was a man’s arm, she saw it clearly this
time. But it was too stiff. The color was off. And, attached at the shoulder,
she saw a coil of wire.
A mannequin arm on a spring.
Meant to make them think someone was inside.
It was a trap.
About the Author
Jeff Gunhus is the USA TODAY bestselling author of thriller and horror novels
for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first
book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his
reluctant reader eleven-year-old son excited about reading. It worked and a new
series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 30 on Amazon, have
been recognized as Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists and reached the USA TODAY bestseller list.
After his experience with his
son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and
is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active
life in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up
with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the
City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel or on JeffGunhus.com.
His latest book is the thriller,
KillerPursuit .
For More Information
Visit Jeff Gunhus’ website.
Connect with Jeff on Facebook and Twitter.
Giveaway
Jeff Gunhus is giving away a grand
prize of $25 Amazon Gift Card plus one autographed copy of his book and 4
runner ups will receive an autographed copy his book as well!
Terms & Conditions:
By entering
the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
Five
winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive either the grand prize
of a $25 Amazon Gift Card plus one autographed copy of his book or one of
4 autographed copies of his book
This
giveaway ends midnight October
28.
Winner will
be contacted via email on October 29.
Winner has
48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!
ENTER TO WIN!
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #pumpupyourbook, @jeffgunhus, Jeff Gunhus, Killer Pursuit, Pump Up Your Book
July 26, 2016
Facebook Page COTC
Hey folks!
Just a quick one today. We finally got a new page up on Facebook for Creatives On The Couch[image error]
Do us a favor and stop by and like our new page and share with your mates
July 21, 2016
VBT ~ SPECIAL LEVELS OF EARTHLY HELL
Special Levels of Earthly Hell
by Merry Freer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Horror, Supernatural
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Drew Collins experiences the world in black and white. As an educated man of science, he rejects belief in the paranormal and the existence of demons. Until an evil energy he calls “The Beast” repeatedly enters his bedroom at night and takes possession of his wife’s body.
What he witnesses at night in his own bedroom cannot be reconciled with science. And yet he sees it with his own eyes, feels its presence, ominous and evil, with his entire being.
Against every instinct, Drew reaches out for help. It is not just his marriage that’s at stake. The evil force has invaded his wife’s family, tearing them apart and culminating in bloodshed and murder. Drew must face a stark choice: sacrifice his belief that the world is a rational place and fight an entity he doesn’t understand and is reluctant to label, or abandon his wife and her family.
Author’s Note to the Reader: Sadly, the most frightening and brutal events in this book are factual. The story is loosely based on one family’s experience with multiple tragedies, some of them “ripped from the headlines.” It is also an excruciatingly factual account of one man’s experience with a loved one who is possessed by a demonic presence. However, it transcends genre and is as much a tale of romance, of cultural barriers, of abuse, and of family drama, as it is of demonic possession.The link between the introduction of an evil spirit and the heartbreaking misfortunes that are visited on the family is left for the reader to decide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK EXCERPT
It was 3:00am, though Drew didn’t notice the time. He was startled into a state of complete consciousness by a feeling of intense dread and fear. Had he been sleeping? Had the feeling returned because he let go – drifted off and let down his guard? Terror ripped through him when he sensed a malevolent force above him. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Even in the pitch darkness of the room, he could see that a dark silhouette straddled him, standing upright, and as he recognized the form, he knew, with a lightning fast certainty he didn’t yet understand, that it only appeared to be his Adriana, her body inhabited by the evil force, her spirit squeezed from her helpless body and now possessed by whatever energy had terrorized them. He brought his eyes to meet those of the adversary that stood above him, silently begging to find recognition, but its black, dead eyes rolled back in their sockets and he realized instantly, as though by telepathy, that it intended to attack him…to fall on him! The form became completely rigid, falling straight forward like a stone slab toward his prone body, with no regard to how it might land. He let out a scream of primal fear that came from the depths of his being. Some kind of demonic beast was hurtling toward him and, throwing up his arms and hands to protect himself from its fall, he instinctively pushed at the foreign creature and threw it from his body, his hands burning with the contact. The creature’s head took the force of the fall, cracking into the heavy nightstand beside the bed.
Sitting up in the bed, shaking, perspiration dripping from his pores, he reached for the lamp on the nightstand and reluctantly turned the switch, terrified of what he might find, knowing he had no choice.
On the floor beside the table lay Adriana, his wife, in a fetal position, holding the back of her head, crying and confused. Drew climbed from the bed, taking her in his arms.
“What happened to me?” she whimpered, still rubbing the growing bump on her head.
“You don’t remember anything?” Drew whispered, carrying her limp body back to the bed.
“I think I hurt my head,” she said.
“You climbed over me to turn on the light and you fell,” Drew lied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Merry Freer is an author of memoir and fact-based fiction. “Special Levels of Earthly Hell: The Story of One Family’s Chilling Struggle with Demonic Possession” was inspired by actual events that were experienced by her nuclear and extended families, tearing relationships apart and making national news headlines. This book comes on the heels of her first book, a memoir named “Doctor, Doctor.” While “Doctor, Doctor” is her debut novel, she has been a writer and editor for many years, including work with the San Diego Chargers and the San Diego Hall of Champions. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from San Diego State University and has been a featured speaker for classes dealing with medical ethics.
Her controversial memoir, “Doctor, Doctor,” topped the Best Seller List in True Crime/White Collar Crime for 10 months and received a “Best Books of 2014” award from “Suspense Magazine.”
Visit her Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/mfreerauthor
https://www.amazon.com/Special-Levels-Earthly-Hell-Possession-ebook/dp/B010YBFKH2/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Merry will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $10 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/06/virtual-book-tour-special-levels-of.html
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bookexcerpt, Goddess Fish Promotions, Merry Freer, SPECIAL LEVELS OF EARTHLY HELL
Book Blast ~ SPECIAL LEVELS OF EARTHLY HELL
Special Levels of Earthly Hell
by Merry Freer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Horror, Supernatural
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Drew Collins experiences the world in black and white. As an educated man of science, he rejects belief in the paranormal and the existence of demons. Until an evil energy he calls “The Beast” repeatedly enters his bedroom at night and takes possession of his wife’s body.
What he witnesses at night in his own bedroom cannot be reconciled with science. And yet he sees it with his own eyes, feels its presence, ominous and evil, with his entire being.
Against every instinct, Drew reaches out for help. It is not just his marriage that’s at stake. The evil force has invaded his wife’s family, tearing them apart and culminating in bloodshed and murder. Drew must face a stark choice: sacrifice his belief that the world is a rational place and fight an entity he doesn’t understand and is reluctant to label, or abandon his wife and her family.
Author’s Note to the Reader: Sadly, the most frightening and brutal events in this book are factual. The story is loosely based on one family’s experience with multiple tragedies, some of them “ripped from the headlines.” It is also an excruciatingly factual account of one man’s experience with a loved one who is possessed by a demonic presence. However, it transcends genre and is as much a tale of romance, of cultural barriers, of abuse, and of family drama, as it is of demonic possession.The link between the introduction of an evil spirit and the heartbreaking misfortunes that are visited on the family is left for the reader to decide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK EXCERPT
It was 3:00am, though Drew didn’t notice the time. He was startled into a state of complete consciousness by a feeling of intense dread and fear. Had he been sleeping? Had the feeling returned because he let go – drifted off and let down his guard? Terror ripped through him when he sensed a malevolent force above him. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Even in the pitch darkness of the room, he could see that a dark silhouette straddled him, standing upright, and as he recognized the form, he knew, with a lightning fast certainty he didn’t yet understand, that it only appeared to be his Adriana, her body inhabited by the evil force, her spirit squeezed from her helpless body and now possessed by whatever energy had terrorized them. He brought his eyes to meet those of the adversary that stood above him, silently begging to find recognition, but its black, dead eyes rolled back in their sockets and he realized instantly, as though by telepathy, that it intended to attack him…to fall on him! The form became completely rigid, falling straight forward like a stone slab toward his prone body, with no regard to how it might land. He let out a scream of primal fear that came from the depths of his being. Some kind of demonic beast was hurtling toward him and, throwing up his arms and hands to protect himself from its fall, he instinctively pushed at the foreign creature and threw it from his body, his hands burning with the contact. The creature’s head took the force of the fall, cracking into the heavy nightstand beside the bed.
Sitting up in the bed, shaking, perspiration dripping from his pores, he reached for the lamp on the nightstand and reluctantly turned the switch, terrified of what he might find, knowing he had no choice.
On the floor beside the table lay Adriana, his wife, in a fetal position, holding the back of her head, crying and confused. Drew climbed from the bed, taking her in his arms.
“What happened to me?” she whimpered, still rubbing the growing bump on her head.
“You don’t remember anything?” Drew whispered, carrying her limp body back to the bed.
“I think I hurt my head,” she said.
“You climbed over me to turn on the light and you fell,” Drew lied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Merry Freer is an author of memoir and fact-based fiction. “Special Levels of Earthly Hell: The Story of One Family’s Chilling Struggle with Demonic Possession” was inspired by actual events that were experienced by her nuclear and extended families, tearing relationships apart and making national news headlines. This book comes on the heels of her first book, a memoir named “Doctor, Doctor.” While “Doctor, Doctor” is her debut novel, she has been a writer and editor for many years, including work with the San Diego Chargers and the San Diego Hall of Champions. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from San Diego State University and has been a featured speaker for classes dealing with medical ethics.
Her controversial memoir, “Doctor, Doctor,” topped the Best Seller List in True Crime/White Collar Crime for 10 months and received a “Best Books of 2014” award from “Suspense Magazine.”
Visit her Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/mfreerauthor
https://www.amazon.com/Special-Levels-Earthly-Hell-Possession-ebook/dp/B010YBFKH2/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Enter to win a $10 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/06/virtual-book-tour-special-levels-of.html
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: Demonic Possession, Goddess Fish Promotions, Merry Freer, SPECIAL LEVELS OF EARTHLY HELL
