Lisa Worrall's Blog, page 29

RELEASE DATE - 4 AUGUST 2012 - GOING UNDER

  Evan Griffin moved into his remote country house with all the excitement and promise of a new start. He thought he'd found it until the strange noises began… When the attacks became physical, he was left bruised and battered and desperate for help.
When Evan walks into the offices of paranormal investigators, Knight & Stone, Ross Stone is dumbfounded by the injuries the man bears. Injuries Evan insists were caused by an unseen assailant in his own home. Something in the man's eyes tugs at Ross's heartstrings. Does he dare risk getting close to Evan when he is fighting his own demons?
Excerpt:
Prologue
Pulling open the curtains to let in the morning light, Evan Griffin gazed out the glass pane at the rolling hills that surrounded his house on every side. His house. It sounded good in his head; new house and new beginning. Surveying the beautiful countryside that the large farmhouse was sitting smack dab in the middle of, he wondered how he could be anything but happy here. It was perfect—almost. But he wouldn't think about Mack now—couldn't. If he let himself walk that road, he'd end up in a useless heap on the floor and those boxes wouldn't unpack themselves.Lost in his thoughts he opened the first box and began to sort through the linen he found there. Halfway to the linen closet, he was stopped in his tracks by a loud bang. "Fuck," he hissed, dropping the curtain and padding onto the floor. He listened intently for a moment and, hearing nothing, he bent to pick up the items he'd dropped. Then he heard it again, coming from the bathroom. Swallowing, an uneasy feeling unfurling in his belly, he opened the bathroom door and looked around the room. Everything seemed in place. His toiletries were on the shelf in a large shoebox and the stack of towels he'd unpacked yesterday were still sitting in the bone dry tub.The tub was one of the things that had attracted Evan to the property. It was huge and at six-one in his bare feet, a tub that he could actually stretch out in was something of a novelty. It sat in the middle of the room on claw feet with old-fashioned steel faucets and the head end higher than the foot end, like something you would see in a Victorian lady's boudoir. The white porcelain was cracked a little with age and he would have to repaint the underside with some specialized paint, but he didn't care. The proportions of the room and the grandeur of the fittings, albeit a little worn, were what had clinched the deal.Slam!"Jesus Christ," he spat, spinning around to find the bathroom door shutting him off from the rest of the house. His heart pounded in his chest when there was another crash and he spun around to see the large casement window at the end of the room banging in the wind. "For fuck's sake, Griffin," he admonished himself, walking over to the window, pulling it shut, and securely latching it. "It's an old house. The window was open which made the first slam and then the centrifugal force created by the window and the door being open caused the second."He stopped in front of the mirror he had hung above the basin the day before and ran his hands through his shaggy hair, scratching his scalp with blunt nails. "If you're going to think that every knock, creak, and bang is something sinister, you might as well pack up and go back to the city right now." He shook his head at his reflection before turning on his heel and crossing the room to open the door. "And stop talking to yourself," he added with a smile, firmly closing the door behind him and heading back to the bedroom to get dressed.* * * *"You think moving houses can get rid of me, Evan?" She watched from her seat on the deep window sill as the man moved around the bedroom. "You always were stupid." Her hands clenched into fists as the rage bubbled inside her. Narrowing her gaze she smiled in satisfaction as Evan rubbed his hands together to warm them. "What's wrong, Evan? Cold?" She lifted her hands and gripped at the wet strands of her hair and hissed through her teeth. "Not as cold as me! But you will be… you will be. I'm not going anywhere until you and everyone you love has paid for what you did." 
 AVAILABLE 4 AUGUST 2012 FROM SILVER PUBLISHING

THE SWIM DIARY OF A TERRIFIED MOTHER....

This is the first week of the Summer holidays... I know... torture... school should be all year round! Anyhoo... I paid for both Gracie and Alex to take a crash course in swimming this week. It was really reasonably priced and neither can swim so you can imagine the excitement!

I am not usually what you'd call a nervous mother... I'm very much of the opinion, if it's not bleeding or hanging off, give a quick rub and get on with it. Railway stations and water, however, freak me the chuff out. Unfortunately I only found out about the water thing this week... and I think it's because they've never been in a swimming pool without me before, so I had a total lack of control over my children's destiny...

Monday

We arrived at the pool in good time, which was quite impressive because they asked me so many times... "Are we there yet"... that I nearly headed to the pier to drive off!

In the changing rooms was the first pallava!
Alex had refused to put his swimming shorts on before we left, so had to get changed there. Relatively easy you might think. Oh, dear God. I nearly shoved the shorts on his head and sent him out like that! The positioning of the towel was wrong, he got tangled up in his shoes which he wouldn't take off until last thing... I could go on.

Finally, in the pool.

Gracie was a little wary, which was odd because she's my fearless one. But that was okay because she didn't let go of the side, or either of the women guiding them across the pool.

Alex... decided he was a cross between Michael Phelps and the bloody Man from Atlantis! I don't think my heart has stopped so many times in one sitting! In the end, I was so stressed that all I wanted was a dark room to lie down in!

Tuesday
The journey and the getting Alex into his swim shorts was pretty much the same as Monday (gawd help me!)

Once in the water, the first thing they all did was join hands and sing Ring a Roses, but instead of snotting all over each other, they "all blow bubbles", which they're supposed to put their mouths under the water and blow it away. Gracie... bless... was more than happy to blow the water, from about four foot above it (shakes head). Alex thought blowing the water meant inhaling half the bloody pool and had to be dragged to the side coughing and spluttering!

Today's lesson was swimming backwards and floating. They did really well, Gracie still hanging on for dear life and kicking as though she were in a cage fight! Alex used his arms a lot which earned him praise and the reduction of his armbands to two on each arm (these floaty things) to one on each arm :)

Wednesday
Today we got there with time to spare and they sat on the side of the pool watching the earlier class, which was fun because they were obviously more advanced and Alex's eyes nearly popped out of his head when one of the girls swam a width almost under water.  I, of course, was thinking... Don't you bloody dare as I could see the cogs turning and smell the burning from where I was in the gallery.

Gracie limped along the poolside and sat down very gingerly on the side after the splinter debacle of last night. She'd decided she would go in, even though there was obviously a possibility that her foot would drop off on contact with the water. Luckily it didn't. More Ring a Roses, front crawl and back crawl with a huge grinning face staring at me every time she reached the side.

Alex obviously decided before we got there that he was going to have a real attempt at killing me. Apparently missing a beat wasn't good enough for him anymore, he wanted me to actually keel over completely. Ducking under the water while there was no one to supervise him at the end where he was, not holding on to the side, trying to swim by himself and encouraging Gracie to go under as well. Those goggles were a bad idea!

Mind you... by the time they got out... Alex had swum practically an entire width by himself wearing armbands, and Gracie had actually plucked up the courage to jump in with assistance at the end of the lesson :)

And me... I put a cold compress on my forehead and had a lie down when we got home!

Stay tuned for Thursday :)  

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY

Good morning.... this week's six comes from one of my current WIP's... I Can See For Miles....

To set you up... Josh has been taken to Camp Aisling, a camp for the blind, by his friends Mario and Greg. Stepping into the office... he hears the voice of Charlie Sayward... the founder of the camp....



“Maggie!” Josh tilted his head toward the sound of the voice.  He felt something warm unfurl in his belly as he let the tone and timbre wash over him.  Josh had always thought that it was an old wives tale, you know, that old saying that when you lost one of your senses, the others became heightened to compensate – but it was true.  Scents, the way something felt beneath your fingertips, how things tasted had all changed and sounds...they had seemed to develop a description all their own and the voice he had just heard?  That voice sounded like the slow burn of whiskey rolling across your tongue and sliding down your throat before the warmth of it settled in your stomach and expanded in your chest.
DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE OTHER SIXES OVER AT SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY

Making a welcome return... SAUCY SATURDAY!

I know I've been a little lax on the eye-candy front... so here we go... a little sauce to go with your Saturday....

Work... or stay in bed all day....?
Awww crap! I forgot my trolleys again!
Ooops... my trousers appear to be falling down... anyone want to give a hand?
Hell yes I am THAT sexy ;)
What? You said purple was your favourite colour...
Um... I think you might have the wrong room... or maybe not...
Tatt's right :)
Have you been working out?
Me? Just standing here... minding my own business...

SNIPPET FROM GOING UNDER - RELEASE DATE 4 AUGUST 2012

PROLOGUE
Pulling open the curtains to let in the morning light, Evan Griffin gazed out the glass pane at the rolling hills that surrounded his house on every side. His house. It sounded good in his head; new house and new beginning. Surveying the beautiful countryside that the large farmhouse was sitting smack dab in the middle of, he wondered how he could be anything but happy here. It was perfect—almost. But he wouldn't think about Mack now—couldn't. If he let himself walk that road, he'd end up in a useless heap on the floor and those boxes wouldn't unpack themselves.Lost in his thoughts he opened the first box and began to sort through the linen he found there. Halfway to the linen closet, he was stopped in his tracks by a loud bang. "Fuck," he hissed, dropping the curtain and padding onto the floor. He listened intently for a moment and, hearing nothing, he bent to pick up the items he’d dropped. Then he heard it again, coming from the bathroom. Swallowing, an uneasy feeling unfurling in his belly, he opened the bathroom door and looked around the room. Everything seemed in place. His toiletries were on the shelf in a large shoebox and the stack of towels he'd unpacked yesterday, were still sitting in the bone dry tub.The tub was one of the things that had attracted Evan to the property. It was huge and at six-one in his bare feet, a tub that he could actually stretch out in was something of a novelty. It sat in the middle of the room on claw feet with old-fashioned steel faucets and the head end higher than the foot end, like something you would see in a Victorian lady's boudoir. The white porcelain was cracked a little with age and he would have to repaint the underside with some specialized paint, but he didn't care. The proportions of the room and the grandeur of the fittings, albeit a little worn, were what had clinched the deal.Slam!"Jesus Christ," he spat, spinning around to find the bathroom door shutting him off from the rest of the house. His heart pounded in his chest when there was another crash and he spun around to see the large casement window at the end of the room banging in the wind. "For fuck's sake, Griffin," he admonished himself, walking over to the window, pulling it shut, and securely latching it. "It's an old house. The window was open which made the first slam and then the centrifugal force created by the window and the door being open caused the second."He stopped in front of the mirror he had hung above the basin the day before and ran his hands through his shaggy hair, scratching his scalp with blunt nails. "If you're going to think that every knock, creak, and bang is something sinister, you might as well pack up and go back to the city right now." He shook his head at his reflection before turning on his heel and crossing the room to open the door. "And stop talking to yourself," he added with a smile, firmly closing the door behind him and heading back to the bedroom to get dressed.
* * * *
"You think moving houses can get rid of me, Evan?" She watched from her seat on the deep window sill as the man move around the bedroom. "You always were stupid." Her hands clenched into fists as the rage bubbled inside her. Narrowing her gaze she smiled in satisfaction as Evan rubbed his hands together to warm them. “What’s wrong, Evan? Cold?” She lifted her hands and gripped at the wet strands of her hair and hissed through her teeth. “Not as cold as me! But you will be… you will be. I'm not going anywhere until you and everyone you love has paid for what you did."
YOU CAN PRE-ORDER GOING UNDER AT SILVER PUBLISHING

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY

I've been MIA for a while as far as the six are concerned, but hopefully I'm returning with a doozie!

This week's six comes from Going Under...


"Please," he mumbled, crying out when his face was pushed harder onto the cold surface, his swollen eye screaming out at the abuse. "I don't know what you want. Why are you doing this to me?"As suddenly as it began, it ended. The pressure on Evan's head was gone and the knife had fallen back onto the bench, not moving, returning to the inanimate object it was. Using his hands and whimpering at the movement, he eased himself upright and his gaze immediately fell on the chopping board beside his fingers. Carved into the wood were three shaky words:  You know why
Don't forget to check out the other sixes over at SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY
Have a good week! 

WHO GETS THE PRINTS OF LAUREL HEIGHTS, THIRST AND THE MASQUERADE TRILOGY?

 We have reached that magical 40,000 hits and the names have been put in the hat.

Drum roll please!

The winner of signed copies of Laurel Heights, Thirst and The Masquerade Trilogy is.......



JOSIE!!!!!
Congratulations! 

Signed copies will be winging they're way too you as we speak :)

Thank you to everyone for participating :)

And thank you to you all for getting me to 
40,000 hits in such a short time!

Lisa xxxx

It's Just... A Little Crush...

It's just... a little crush... not like I faint, everytime we touch...it's just, some little thing, not like everything I dooo, depends on you. (Jennifer Paige)


Come on... we all have them and since I'm having a second time around crush on a certain TV star... I thought we'd delve into the mysterious world of the crush and see who's brave enough to confess their top 5 crushes of all time and, *evil smile* their top 5 most embarrassing ones... The hunky stud you can see above is none other than Crush the Turtle from finding Nemo. Now I'm not saying he's one of my own crushes... but he's definitely the cutest guy on the planet who is actually named after our topic.

Okay... here goes with my current crushes... (Yes, I know I'm really old... but I'm not DEAD!)

No surprises for the holder of the top spot - Jensen Ackles


I know Jason is my friend... but he's just the sweetest guy on earth.
OMG - Dimitri Chaplin - Professional dancer and choreographer
Sir David of Tennant (I'd drink this man's bath water)
And here he is... making my crush list the second time around... Joey Lawrence *sigh*

 I know... narrowing it down is hard... let's face it the list could be bloody endless... and now here come the not so hot ones.... don't ask me why... I have no idea...

Stephen Fry (Yes, I know he's gay - so what?)
Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) (Don't judge me, in Cracker he was fantastically sexy)
Richard Hammond (I think it's his idiocy on Top Gear that attracts me)
Richard Speight Jr (He is slightly odd looking, but unbelievably cute)
Jimmy Nail (I have no idea, he's just... woof)So... guys and gals... are you brave enough to share...
Come on... it's just a little crush...

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES - C'MON!

I hope Kool and the Gang have got you in the mood... so what are we celebrating? I am just under 200 hits short of 40,000 hits on my blog since I opened it in May last year.  Which I think deserves to be shouted about... even if I am gobsmacked by it all :) So... what do you get if you are the lucky winner picked out of the hat when I hit that magic 40?
Signed print copies of Thirst, Laurel Heights and The Masquerade Trilogy.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what your favourite horror movie is and why... and once that magic 40 rolls by, my assistant (six year old Gracie) will pull a name out of the hat and the books will be winging their way to you by return of post!

Good luck everyone!

BULLYING - ARE THE SCHOOLS TAKING IT SERIOUSLY?

Well, are they?

From the moment you take that pregnancy test, you feel this sudden surge of what I guess is motherly love. A base instinct to protect what's yours. To do your level best to ensure that your child is loved, nurtured... safe. When the baby is born, that instinct steps up to the "enth" degree and you will do anything to keep a smile on that kid's face.

So life trips along and they grow and they're safe and protected... until you send them to school.

Shouldn't we have the right to think our children are as protected in school as they are at home? I know no-one can do it as well as we can, but you at least hope their school life isn't fraught with worry and fear.

Until that is... your kid comes home in tears and tells you that little shit has been bullying him again.
Until that is... your kid sobs in your arms and begs you not to make him go back there.
Until that is... your kid changes from the fun-loving child you raised to a sullen, quiet shell of their former self.

So you head to the school. You go down all the proper channels. Do everything the "right way".
And you are assured that it is being dealt with and will be stamped out.

Bollocks is the only thing I can think to say. Because your kid is still coming home sobbing and with bruises on him that weren't there when you sent him in that morning.

What do you do? Do you move school? But if you have two kids, how do you do that? Do you go to school with him and follow him around like a sheepdog to make sure no one touches him? Or do you do what my Dad would have said to me... and what I know countless other parents tell their kids...

... Just hit the little shit back.

It seems the second approach only gets your kid into trouble for retaliation.  But what else can you do?

So in answer to my own question... NO schools don't take it seriously enough.