Cassandra Page's Blog, page 42

Cover reveal: ‘Restless in Peaceville’ by Pippa Jay

Welcome to Peaceville, population 2067 and rising…from the grave…

Luke Chester has had enough. He’s the school geek, the girls laugh at him, he’s lost his dead-end job at the pizza place, and in the midst of the world’s messiest divorce his parents don’t even know he exists. An overdose of his mom’s tranquilizers and a stomach full of whiskey should solve all his problems…

But they don’t. Instead, Luke finds himself booted out of the afterlife for not dying a natural death, with nowhere to go but back to his recently vacated corpse and reality. How the hell is he going to pass for one of the living without someone trying to blow his brains out for being one of the undead?

And it just gets worse. He’s got to fight his own desperate craving to consume the living, evade the weird supernatural hunter who’s having a field day with the new undeads rising, and there’s this creepy black shadow following him around. Add to that the distraction of female fellow undead Annabelle burning to avenge her own murder, and clearly there’s no rest for the wicked. Jeez, all he wanted to do was R.I.P.

A YA supernatural novella, coming from Lycaon Press 20th August.

Add it to your Goodreads shelf HERE .

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Excerpt

Where the hell am I?

Not the most original question, I know, but it’s the best place to start. The only place. I don’t know where I am. I can’t remember where I was. What I was. But nothing about this place is familiar, and some part of me didn’t expect this.

There’s a line of people all the way to infinity. I’m not exaggerating—I do mean infinity. And it hurts to look at it because the human mind can’t handle that. Not completely. You think you know how that looks? You don’t. You can’t. Try to imagine the whole of creation. Can you see every last ant, every last star? No.

Around us—well, it’s a big gray hall. A really, really huge space, like an aircraft hangar kind of place, only no planes and no doors. In fact, no walls or roof either. The edges just blur into the darkness, as though none of it exists except the floor we’re standing on, and I’m not even sure about that. Looking up makes me giddy. You know when you’re dizzy from spinning around, and you lay down, but you feel as if you just keep on falling? That. So I don’t try it again. I keep my eyes away from the endless line of other people waiting. Instead, I stare at the back of the person in front of me and try not to think about where I am and what may be going on. Because now I have a nasty suspicion about it and what might have happened. My mind scurries away from the thought. This ain’t good.

Oh, by the by, my name is Luke Chester. That much I do know. I can’t be that old—my hands aren’t wrinkled or calloused, although there’s a cool scar across my left palm. My skin is pale gray. So are the long sleeves of my T-shirt. In fact everyone and everything is gray, just like the room. I stare at the guy in front of me, hoping for some clues. He has dreadlocks and his skin is so dark as to be almost black. He’s wearing a tank top, torn and covered with dark streaks that something tells me should be red, but, like everything else here, have no color. There are two deep slashes in the back of his neck, and more on his arms. They aren’t bleeding though. I guess they’ve all dried up, or maybe he’s all bled out. His jeans are ripped too, although that could be a fashion thing. I can’t see any wounds on his legs.

I look down at myself. My jeans are in one piece, but my feet are bare. I wriggle my toes and watch them dance like I’ve never seen them move before. I can’t feel the ground. I don’t feel warm or cold, just kind of numb, and distant. It’s as if I’m not really here, but clearly I am. What happened to me? How did I get here? That bothers me. I shouldn’t be here. Then again, I’m not sure where else I should be.

About Pippa

After spending twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes scifi and the supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband of 21 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

Pippa Jay is a dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. Her works include a YA science fiction novel—Gethyon—published through BURST (Champagne Books), two self-published short stories (Terms & Conditions Apply and The Bones of the Sea), and she’s one of eight authors included in a science fiction romance anthology—Tales from the SFR Brigade. She’s also a double SFR Galaxy Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3rd place), and the GCC RWA Silken Sands Star Awards (2nd place).

You can stalk her at her website http://pippajay.co.uk, or at her blog http://pippajay.blogspot.co.uk, but without doubt her favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as @pippajaygreen.

Review: ‘Kiya: Mother of a King’ by Katie Hamstead

Nefertiti has forced Naomi to flee Amarna with Malachi and the three children. But even under the protection of Naomi’s family in Thebes, Nefertiti still hunts her and Tut. Nefertiti sends assassins to kill them, and while Naomi fights to protect the children, Malachi fights to keep her safe.

With three children in tow, one of which isn’t her own, she is labeled the harlot outcast wife of the pharaoh and is shunned. She isn’t safe among her own people, and flees from being stoned to death. Although her family protects her, she must find a way to survive.

While Naomi struggles to keep herself and Tut alive, old adversaries return as Smenkhkare takes advantage of Akhenaten’s ailing health. Naomi must rely on Horemheb’s promise to protect Tut’s birthright, but her feelings for Malachi could cause more problems with Horemheb than she expects.

By Aussie Author Katie Hamstead, this is the second book in the Kiya series, which follows the life of Naomi—known to the Egyptians as Kiya—after she flees the palace with her children following Queen Nefertiti’s latest assassination attempt.

I’ve quite enjoyed this series so far, although I found this book a little slower in places than the first one—Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh. I suspect that’s an inevitable result of the relative lack of palace intrigue. Book two spends a lot more time focusing on Naomi’s new life (or return to her old one) as a Hebrew woman. Some of that, such as detailing various pregnancies and births, isn’t as gripping, but it’s also nice to see Naomi get some time living a life that makes her happy.

Then the fabulously sexy Horemheb comes back into her life, Tut gets dragged off to be a boy king, and Naomi’s life gets complicated again. Hooray!

Normally—almost 100% of the time—when I’m reading I find I’m attracted to the good guy in any love triangle. In this series, the good guy is Malachi, and Horemheb is the bad boy. But for some reason, in this I thought Horemheb was way more interesting than Malachi. The latter is strong and caring, but Horemheb is both of those things (to Kiya at least; to others he is cruel) and also very intelligent. I like a hot, smart man.

Or maybe I just go for the underdog. Usually the bad boy gets the girl, after all. ;)

I confess that one thing I really struggled with in Kiya: Mother of a King was a side-effect of the fact it’s historical fiction. Because 3000 years ago, women didn’t have rights. All the Hebrew men buying wives they’ve in some cases never even seen from those girls’ fathers made me cranky. (Of course, the Egyptian alternative of just taking them and raping them was worse.) In each instance in this book, the Hebrew men in question were all good husbands to their wives, but ugh!

At one point Naomi takes Malachi to task when he refers to her as his property, but for the most part even she—the strong-headed one, who used to be queen—is perfectly happy to see herself and other women bought and sold. I realise she simply doesn’t know any better, and maybe I’d be more used to the casual sexism if I read more historical fiction, but I wanted to shake some of the blokes till their teeth rattled.

Still, this is an interesting continuation of Naomi’s story. And if she doesn’t want Horemheb, can I have him?

This Writer’s Space: S. T. Bende

Hei hei y’all! I’m S.T. Bende, and I’m lucky enough to write about drop-dead-gorgeous Norse gods, and the girls they dote on. This means I have to stare at lots of pictures of Alexander Skarsgard for inspiration. Not a bad gig, right? Here’s a little bit about me.

Where I Write
Thanks to my MacBook Pro, and a lack of dedicated writing space, I write wherever I can.Sometimes it’s at my kitchen table, sometimes it’s in a corner of the couch, and sometimes it’s tucked away in my favorite coffee shop. But because my books are rooted in Norse mythology, I always end up writing somewhere near my Norsk pillow. It’s cute. It’s comfy. And I made it my own self. I’m a wretched sewer, but it’s pretty much straight, and hasn’t fallen apart yet!! *beams*


Where I’m Inspired
Nature totally gets my creative energy flowing. I love hiking on Endor . . . okay, through the regular forest. But don’t those trees look like an Ewok could jump right out of them?  They’re so mysterious, I always imagine what could be hiding around them . . . and a lot of what I imagine makes its way into a book. :) 



And I LOVE throwing on my favorite hoodie and walking barefoot on the beach. This one’s in Northern Oregon, a few miles from the hometown of my Elsker Saga heroine, Kristia. It’s super peaceful, and keeps inspiring new stories.





And then there’s the ski slopes. *sigh* It’s summer in my hemisphere, and I’m itching to get back out there. Would you Aussies pretty please hit the slopes for me, and tell me all about it?
To Be Read
I’m a total techno-dolt. I still use a flip phone. #Truth And if you’d told me a year ago I’d be a nearly exclusive e-reader reader, I’d have bit my thumb at you. (Not really. I would never fail Emily Post like that. But I definitely would have giggled demurely behind my fan.) But the truth is, I’m just not that into clutter. And I like being able to bring ten books on a trip without taking up any room in my suitcase. So here is my TBR pile. And my favorite Reading Hat. It also doubles as my Thinking Hat, and my Cleaning Hat. Tiaras make everything more fun. Dontcha think?



Connect with ST Bende
Facebook
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Blog
The Elsker Saga’s Inga Andersson on Pinterest

Connect with Elsker’s Norse God of Winter, Ull

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About The Elsker Saga
You don’t win the heart of an immortal assassin without making a few enemies along the way. Kristia Tostenson prefers Earl Grey to Grey Goose and book clubs to nightclubs, but when she transfers from her one-stoplight town to Cardiff University in Wales she falls in love with Ull Myhr. Her new boyfriend isn’t exactly what she was expecting. He’s an honest to goodness Norse God – an immortal assassin fated to die at Ragnarok, the battle destined to destroy Asgard and Earth. Kristia’s crazy visions are the only thing that can save their realms. Her orderly life just got very messy.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Cover Trends

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday subject is book cover trends I like or dislike (or both!). I’ve mixed it up, colour-coding accordingly. But I can only think of two trends that I really dislike, and one I’m sitting on the fence on. Although there are bad examples of every trend I’ve listed, I’m more predisposed to loving the others.

I haven’t listed ten trends, only seven. That being said, I’ve got twelve examples of those seven. That TOTALLY counts, right?

Decapitated models. I’m not talking about covers that only show one part of the body, but the ones where the model is visible except for his or her (or their) face, which is cut off by the top of the page. It’s particularly common in YA at the moment—a popular example would The Moral Instruments trilogy by Cassandra Clare. (Although they have chins, I guess…) I get why book designers do this—to let the reader imagine the character’s appearance—but usually it looks to me like they couldn’t find the right model or, in the case of simpler covers (usually self-published), didn’t have the skills to Photoshop any changes required onto the stock image.

Body parts. It may seem fussy of me to not like decapitated models but like covers with body parts, but I do. It’s a question of whether it looks unfinished or deliberate. Twelve Steps by Veronica Bartles is an adorable example of only showing the feet that I think was done well; Cinder by Marissa Meyer is great too.

Models facing the other way. Another (IMO superior) way to not show the model’s face is to use stock where the model’s back is to the viewer. Ideally the thing they are looking at should also be interesting, and if they’re in a fabulous outfit all the better. The Archon by Sabrina Benulis is a good example of this. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake is another. (Their hair is blowing the same way. What’s that all about?!)

Inexplicable formalwear. I love a good ball gown as much as the next girl. But when a story has a modern setting and not a prom in sight, why is the main character dressed in a gown on the cover? Fallen by Lauren Kate has such a cover (and also a model hiding her face, although at least it hasn’t been lopped off). It’s gorgeous, but left me scratching my head.

Handwriting on a simple background. Although not my favourite cover type, this can be really striking when done right; at least, the covers certainly stand out. John Green’s The Fault in our Stars and J. K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy are both great, very distinct examples. I don’t know what Green’s other covers are like, but in Rowling’s case this style of cover tells the reader very clearly, “This isn’t Harry Potter!” It’s not my favourite cover (probably because of the colours) but I can see what it’s doing.

Abstract covers. I LOVE abstract covers—especially combined with bright colours (either a little splash or a whole lot). Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig (in fact, all of the Miriam Black books) has a great cover. Take a close look: Miriam is flying apart, into dozens of birds. How awesome is that? I also love this edition of The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth.

Silhouettes. Often these covers are also abstract (have another look at The Wild Girl, above), but not always. Silhouettes are another great way to let the reader imagine the character for themselves while still showing them. For example, Graceling by Kristin Cashore or Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey. (Yes, I know the top of Loup’s scalp in that second cover is missing. But her face is still there.)

What’s your favourite (or least favourite) cover trend?

Undercover with Sarah Tregay’s novel ‘Fan Art’ – and a giveaway!

I listen to a lot of audio books, and from time to time I’ll read something on a Kindle. While both are convenient ways to get immersed in a story, I miss seeing the book itself. Because I am a graphic designer in my day job, I enjoy the little details in a printed book, such as the typeface, an illustration, or a beautiful chapter heading. Hardcover books are a treat because you can peek under the jacket and see the art on the binding.

So, in case you borrow a copy of Fan Art from your library or read it on your iPad, here is the art under the cover:

Also, Melissa DeJesus did an amazing job illustrating the graphic short story within Fan Art:

Blurb

When the picture tells the story…

Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.

As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants — because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?

This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | The Book Depository

Giveaway

Enter to win 2 signed ARC’s of Fan Art (US/CAN only)

About the Author

Raised without television, Sarah Tregay started writing her own middle grade novels after she had read all of the ones in the library. She later discovered YA books, but never did make it to the adult section. When she’s not jotting down poems at stoplights, she can be found hanging out with her “little sister” from Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sarah lives in Eagle, Idaho with her husband, two Boston Terriers, and an appaloosa named Mr. Pots. Her next book, Fan Art, came out on 17 June.

 Author Links:

Website: http://www.sarahtregay.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3413449.Sarah_Tregay

Twitter: @sarahtregay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahtregaybooks

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/sarahtregay/ ‎

‘Frozen’: story obstacles versus messages

Snowman THIS!

I’ve got a friend who was ranting on Facebook the other day about Frozen. Not about the terrible ear-wormy nature of some of the songs (NO I DON’T WANT TO BUILD A GODDAMN SNOWMAN STOP ASKING!), but about the terrible parenting.

Now, I agree with her in a sense. Elsa and Anna’s parents were terrible. Their reaction to finding out their daughter was going to imperil their country if she didn’t learn to control her power was to lock her in her room, and then not explain why to their other daughter, thereby breaking them both. I wasn’t particularly sad for them when their ship sunk, although I was sad for their poor, unprepared daughters.

(Mind you, the trolls have to take a certain amount of responsibility here; they knew “love melts a frozen heart”, heard the father outline the plan of locking Elsa in her room, and didn’t object. If anyone was negligent in the back-story, it was them.)

However, this did secure prophesy’s traditional story role in Frozen. You know what I mean: X person (usually the bad guy but in this case Elsa’s parents) finds out about a prophesy and takes steps to stop it coming to pass, thereby guaranteeing it comes to pass.

Also, their reaction of hiding their “shame” was very culturally appropriate, if not healthy. Hell, people still do it.

Which brings me to the point of this ramble: sometimes readers or viewers see obstacles in a story—things that the author (or scriptwriter) does to make their characters’ lives hard and the story interesting—and mistake them for the message of the story. Frozen wasn’t advocating that parents lock their kids up to teach them self-control; it was showing the inevitable damage that results. It was providing the obstacle for Elsa and Anna to overcome.

On the other hand, the movie has some of the best messages I’ve seen in a Disney princess film to date. The princess is self-rescuing. The “true love” angle didn’t require a kiss from prince charming (or the ice farmer) to resolve; the important love was the one Anna had for Elsa. Plus there’s a message (in so many words) about how you can’t “fix” someone who’s broken, just support them and encourage them to do their best. That’s a far healthier message of romance than, say, Beauty and the Beast, where if you just love the awful, abusive person for long enough they’ll turn into a handsome prince.

Also, the idea that self-acceptance is the path to self-control and happiness (rather than fear and repression) is a good one.

Also, Olaf’s adorable. ;)

If I were going to poke one hole in Frozen (other than the annoyingly catchy songs NO I STILL DON’T WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN!), it would be the fact that when Elsa decided to “let it go”, her outfit suddenly got bizarrely sexy. If I were going to let it go, I’d look at trackies and a baggy jumper.

Is that just me?

‘Isla’s Inheritance’ is on Goodreads

Even though the subject says almost everything you need to know about the matter, I feel like I should write some extra words. So, yes, my very first book baby, Isla’s Inheritance, is on Goodreads. I don’t have a cover yet (when I do I’ll be organising a reveal; yay!) but there is a blurb. And I can pat the screen and stare at it like my dogs stare at us when we’re eating dinner. You can too, if you like. I don’t mind sharing.

Isla’s Goodreads page

The way I feel right now is really best said with animated gifs. Which is a sad state of affairs for a writer, but OMG!

I feel like this!

And then I think of people actually reading it — after spending money on it — and I feel like this.

(I also feel sick, like I might throw up. But it’s probably best if we don’t animate that.)

Anyway, if you’re a Goodreads user and you want to add Isla’s Inheritance to your To Be Read shelf, I’d love you forever. Really. With hearts and chocolates*!

*Chocolates may be claimed in person only.

This Writer’s Space: Julie Hutchings

Today I’m thrilled to have the fabulous Julie Hutchings here, one of the loveliest, bubbliest, most honest and most caffeinated people I’ve had the pleasure to meet on Twitter.

Where I Write

I cheated and sent two pics of my writer’s space. While that corner of my kitchen table is mine, all mine, and I love to write there, more often than not my actual writer’s space is one corner of the couch, with a four year old in my lap and my laptop nearly falling off the couch arm if not for part of that four year old holding it up with his shoulder or knee. Because I write where I can. Also, I’m sitting on about 6 pounds of graham cracker crumbs in this picture. Oh, the glamour!

Where I’m Inspired

This is a spot where I grew up, amongst a bunch of summer cottages right on the beach. That smell of the ocean, the silence — whether it’s a warm summer day or a cold fall afternoon, walking in a hoodie with a cup of coffee — it’s always perfect. It always makes me smile and know that I’m on the right track somehow. This is where I go when I need a real breather.

To Be Read

Yeah, that’s most of my TBR pile. THE GIRL WHO FELL BENEATH FAIRYLAND by Catherynne Valente is screaming at me to read next. I freak out over the Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey. ON THE NATURE OF FAIRY TALES, a book from college I want to re-read for research. GREEN by Jay Lake again, because he was as wonderful a man as he was a writer, and I miss him. Kylie Chan, because of the awesome and she was a big influence on me writing the sequel to RUNNING HOME (which is looking at an August release!). THE WAITING by Joe Hart which has been waiting for me to read for too long. (Sorry to Joe, not sorry about the pun.)

About Julie

Julie’s debut novel, Running Home, giving you vampires with a Japanese mythology pants kicking is available through Books of the Dead Press. (The sequel, Running Away, coming this summer!) Julie revels in all things Buffy, has a sick need for exotic reptiles, and drinks more coffee than Juan Valdez and his donkey combined, if that donkey is allowed to drink coffee. Julie’s a black belt with an almost inappropriate love for martial arts. And pizza. And Rob Zombie. Julie lives in Plymouth, MA, constantly awaiting thunderstorms with her wildly supportive husband and two magnificent boys.

How to connect with Julie:

undeadduo@hotmail.com

deadlyeverafter.com

facebook.com/deadlyeverafterblog

Twitter: @hutchingsjulie

http://www.booksofthedeadpress.com

You can email Julie at undeadduo (at) hotmail (dot) com or follow her on Twitter.

 

Beautiful People: Character Interviews – Isla Blackman

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic didn’t work for me, so I’ve decided to reject that reality and substitute my own. The Notebook Sisters’ Beautiful People is a new meme designed to help writers (and anyone that reads the writers’ blogs!) learn about their characters.

So here are ten questions about Isla Blackman, she of Isla’s Inheritance fame. (Fame? Just go with it.)

What is their full name and is there a story behind why they got it? 

Isla Rose Blackman. Isla is a Scottish name and, although she has no Scottish heritage that she knows of, her parents met in Edinburgh. And roses were her mother’s favourite flower, or so her father told her once. Her mother died giving birth to Isla, so she doesn’t know for certain.

How old are they, and when were they born?

She is 17 at the start of Isla’s Inheritance, although her birthday is a week later. She was born almost eighteen years ago. (I originally finished the novel three years ago so it was eighteen years before that…but it’s a sliding scale till release day!)

Describe their physical appearance. (Bonus questions: 1. What is their race/nationality/ethnicity? 2. Do you have a picture of them? If so, include it!)

Isla is 5′ 4″ with brown wavy hair, usually worn in a ponytail, and brown eyes. She has pale skin and burns easily. Her father is English and her mother’s heritage is a bit of a mystery, but she’s where Isla got her looks from.

Jenna-Louise Coleman, who looks a lot like I imagine Isla would. (Source.)

Describe your character’s personality first in one word, and then elaborate with a few sentences.

Pragmatic. Isla was raised by her father to have a sceptical, logical mind. She never really got into crystals, ghosts and incense when her cousin Sarah did. The fact she agrees to participate in a seance at all is only because Dominic wanted to, and he’s hot. ;)

What theme song(s) fit their personality and story arc?

This song is the hardest one here, because I don’t write to music, so I don’t automatically associate my characters with music. All I can think of are parts of Wake Me Up by Evanescence, except the person that song is about is coming from a much darker place than Isla is so it’s not quite perfect.

Which one of the seven deadly sins describes your character?

None of them, really; she’s a lot more complex than that. She has moments of sloth, envy, lust, wrath and pride. Not really much gluttony to speak of, although she does love her coffee. Who doesn’t?

If they were an element (fire, water, earth, air), which one would they be?

Earth.

What is their favourite word?

“Sorry!”

Who’s one person they really miss? (It could be someone who’s passed away, or someone they’re not close to anymore, or someone who’s moved away.)

Isla never met her mother, but she misses the idea of having a mother more than anything, even though her Aunt Elizabeth has been a surrogate mother, especially since Isla moved in with her aunt and two cousins when she started high school. (Her dad lives on a farm an hour out of Canberra, so it was easier for Isla to move than to commute all the time.)

What sights, sounds, and smells remind them of that person?

None, really, because she has no basis for comparison. She hasn’t even seen a picture of her mother. It wasn’t her idea to try and summon her at the seance, and afterwards she wishes it had never been suggested…

 

Excerpt and giveaway: ‘Tore Divided Love’ by K. D. Ferguson

Tore Divided Love

by K.D. Ferguson
Release Date: 6 June 2014

A future set in stone.For eighteen year old Krissa Channing a government ruled pairing with Braiden Connor and a move to Headquarters were her set fate. Until Braiden’s sudden disappearance threatens Krissa’s entire future.

After months of endless worry, Krissa has an unexpected meeting with Duke, a perfect suitor that could offer her the future she’s always dreamed of. Just when she begins to regain hope, Braiden returns.

Now, Krissa must find where her heart truly lies. Torn between two loves, she must decide which of their worlds she belongs in. But is such a decision even possible when the choice rests between freedom and love?

Add to Goodreads | Book One on Goodreads

Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Excerpt

“I wasn’t ready.”

“Ready for what?”  The enforcement was stern with his questions, simple and to the point.  He was certainly not trying to make small talk.

“To be paired.  I freaked out a little.  I needed to see what a Single’s life was like.”  Braiden’s responses flowed out of his mouth with such fluidity.

“And you thought the best option was to run away to find your answer?  We would have granted you access.”

Braiden made no reply, and instead remained eerily quiet.

“Well, what did you find, Mr. Connor?  That the Sweeper life isn’t a desirable one?  That one is much better off following our rules and regulations?”

“A Sweeper’s life is not what I want.”

Although he was saying everything I’d always wanted him to say, something about it was off. He responses seemed so rehearsed.

“I wasn’t thinking clearly.  I’m sorry for any trouble I caused.  It won’t happen again.”

“It better not.  You’ve been assigned to this district, and you have been paired with Krissa.  You’ll be on probation for the next year, which means one slip up and you’ll be in the Sweeper unit permanently, or worse.  Understood?”

“Yes Sir.”  This time he wasn’t mocking the officer.  He looked ashamed.

“Krissa, do you agree to these terms?”  Did I really have another option?  If I didn’t agree, I could end up single, but would a life with Braiden make me happy?  Yes, I still loved him, but how was I to let him ease back into my life after all the hurt he caused?

Giveaway

Enter to win HERE!
About the author

I have recently released my first book, Torn-True Love, published by Rebel Ink Press. I am thrilled to be a part of the family! Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook