Book Blast - The Soul of the Sun by Genevieve Crownson

 Welcome Genevieve Crownson, author of the YA paranormal The Soul of the Sun!

Title: The Soul of the Sun

Genre: Paranormal/Young Adult
Author: Genevieve Crownson
Publisher: Genevieve Crownson
Pages: 348
Format: Paperback l Kindle

Book Summary: 

“The hands of time turn on the face of the sun. Only you can move them. If the Watcher controls the hands of the clock he can go anywhere, past or future-- and destroy our planet.” 

Since the days of ancient Greece, the Argos dynasty has kept a secret, a mystery passed down through their descendants from generation to generation, in the hopes that the forces of good can stop the evil destruction of planet Earth. 

Margaret Ingall is harboring that secret. Time is running out for the descendants of the Argos. They know a great healer and time traveler will be born of their blood. But the only person that knows whom they will call “the soul of the sun” is Margaret’s sister, Abigail. Before she can reveal the healer’s identity, disaster strikes… 

Evil stalks them, watching and waiting to find out which member of her family has the ultimate power. Is it Margaret’s own child? Or her beloved granddaughter? Or even herself? Their only clue is a powerful protective amulet that will lead them all in a cat-and-mouse game to discover secrets as ancient as time. 

If the Watcher discovers the truth before they do, all will be lost. 

Fate, time and love weave together in their struggle to fulfill their destiny. Will Margaret’s fears sabotage her family’s protection? Can the healer accept her gifts in time? And once the soul of the sun is finally revealed, will it be too late? 

Her power is incredible. The sacrifices required of her are immense. 

Will it be enough to stop the Watcher? 

The Soul of the Sun Excerpt

The rain fell in sheets around me, it was gloomy and depressing, but I didn’t feel a drop. I was completely encased in light; I was a moving, breathing, flaming yellow orb that no one could penetrate. I watched in amazement as my broken leg instantly healed and the torn pajama fabric cinched itself back together. My jaw pain ceased. I closed my hands over the amulet, now humming with intensity. In a split second, I was vibrating with the same power. The wind picked up and the sky loomed black. The moon lay dark behind an inky sky and somehow strange chanting words flowed out of me. Lava hot and fraught with meaning, they rose to a fever pitch. Every word was a part of me, part of my being. Words from another time, Tanga’s time, slipped from my lips as though it were my native tongue. It was the inscription on the amulet, of that much I was sure.

I stretched my glowing hands out to Thomas.

“I call on you Lady Isis. Protect Me. For I am the one, the Soul of the Sun. I plead with you and your son Horus to give refuge. Patroness of Nature and Magic bring all my power and your power together to glorify what is right and true in this world. Honor your name and those we safeguard from harm. Let time be taken from no man. Amen.”

He was laughing at me.

“You stupid little twit, did you honestly think that would work? You think that I can’t take what’s mine?”

As he spoke, I chanted the same words, repeating them over and over. I saw fear cross his face just for a moment when he realized I was using the amulet’s power. A brilliant beam of light continued to radiate from my core. It was strange, the light now shone gold instead of blue. It must have changed when it sealed together. I continued to watch and to my astonishment, he became transparent and, with a puff of smoke, evaporated into the heavens. I could hear his heart-rending screams echoing through the ocean’s storm. Drained completely of energy, I crumpled, exhausted, onto the sand.

About the author

Genevieve Crownson graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelors of Science degree. A love of writing led her to pen her debut novel, The Soul of the Sun. This is book one in her highly anticipated trilogy, The Argos Dynasty. She currently lives in beautiful Charleston, SC with her family and beloved four-legged friends.

Author Links:
Website ¦ Twitter ¦ Facebook ¦ Goodreads

Book Blitz Organised By:

Bookvie: I, Frankenstein - out January 24, 2014

  

Who's in it:

Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto

What's it all about (book blurb from Goodreads):

Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.

Frankenstein, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever. 

I, Frankenstein Official Trailer

Movie Stills:

Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway - Fireflies & Hope from the Ocean by P.S. Bartlett

About the author P.S. Bartlett

I was born on Valentine’s Day a long, long time ago in South Baltimore, Maryland, less than a mile from Fort McHenry and Federal Hill. I’m the youngest of eleven children. 

I’m a very simple person. I love my life and am always striving to make it better for myself and my family. I write, I draw and I work full-time. I also paint beautiful watercolors with my three year old granddaughter. 

I’ve been married for nearly 19 years and together we have two sons and a daughter. I’d call myself a football fan but I mostly only watch my home team, the World Champion Baltimore Ravens. I love super heroes and Superman has been my favorite since I was a little girl. June 2013 the new Superman movie “Man of Steel” arrives in theaters and it cannot get here soon enough for me. I love cats and I have a Maine Coon named Columbus.

Author Links:
Blog ¦ Twitter ¦ Facebook ¦ GMTA ¦ Goodreads

Guest Post: 10 Things I Wish I Knew About Being an Author

1. Unless you’re already famous for something else; rock star, movie actor, professional athlete—you most likely will not sell a million copies of your book—your first book let’s say. For Joe Shmo and P.S. Bartlett and many other authors, being successful takes a good deal of time, good marketing and a great support base. If you’re hoping to get rich quick by being a writer, you may want to get that record deal or Lakers contract first.

2. You have to have either a very good memory or be incredibly organized. Between scheduling writing time, writing your blog, tweeting, running contests, Facebook pages, email addresses, writing your book and not to mention holding down a full time job, keeping house, cooking, cleaning and keeping your significant other from leaving you due to you forgetting not only their birthday but their name, you may have time to pee and walk the cat—I mean dog.

3. It can be a very lonely career. Writers need a lot of solitary time to write. I’ll admit, I’ve been writing and someone will come into the room and most often they will ask that all too important question, “Are you writing?” but occasionally the matter is important to them. Forgive them because they don’t realize you’re right in the middle of taking down an army of giant trolls and when you read back over what you wrote later, try not to get upset with them when your troll has forgotten to do their homework and needs an excuse note for their teacher or they’ve set the kitchen on fire. 

4. People want your swag. If you’re not an author and you’re reading this, no, they do not want your lovely new curtains, they want goodies that show off your books. There is a bit of an investment involved but it’s oh so worth when your fans want something special to go with their books. Bookmarks, buttons, charms and t-shirts make great swag but always remember your fans love your books and they are going to want some swag so you better have it ready.

5. Getting published is as easy as 1, 2, 3 (and other fairy tales). There are literally millions of books on Amazon alone—go look if you don’t believe me. Looks pretty simple doesn’t it? (I’ll be right back I’m rolling on the floor laughing). Even if you become frustrated with the process of querying agents and publishers and decide to self-publish your book, there are plenty of really nice and friendly people waiting in line to take your money and help you do just that—choose wisely. Do background checks if you have to but please be careful.

6. Depending on which genre you write in, you must do your research. Nero didn’t smoke cigars—neither did pirates. I’ll bet you didn’t know that did you? Okay well even if you claim you did, do you have to be 100% historically accurate? Well yes, you should. Of course you can use your imagination to create new scenarios, for instance Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter but if old Abe whips out his iPod or says, “Hey, pass the Grey Poupon,” I’m sorry but your more experienced reader is gonna close the book on you.

7. I didn’t know authors were zombies. I’ve learned to accomplish more things while half asleep than some people do wide awake—I think. Well I try. Okay I thought I did those things!

8. Social networking is very important but don’t beg. If you’re a new author, currently writing your first novel or even thinking about it, you better have a Facebook, a Twitter, a Google+ and a blog at the very least or you are already way behind. The irony of all of this is under point number 3. I compare this lifestyle to living like a gopher. In the hole, out of the hole. In the hole, out of the hole. We hide and write and in the next breath, we stick our head out, make a bunch of really cool new friends, say hello to our fans and then run back in our holes. Please, just don’t bombard people with “Over here! Look at me! PLEASE look at me! WILL YOU FREAKING LOOK OVER HERE!!!” Build relationships. Support your fellow writers and above all, don’t steal their golf balls.

9. Not everyone likes you and once you’re published, they may like you even less. As we strive to write that perfect, wonderful book that of course everyone wants to read and it miraculously gets published and we’re deliriously happy and sharing our happiness with anyone who will listen on every social media site and at every cocktail party or barbeque we attend, there is someone or someones lurking and guess what—they don’t like you, never did and they’ll be mean to you. They’ll give you anonymous bad reviews or say not so nice things about your book—since it is of course the source of your happiness. The answer to this is very simple. Write them into your next novel and kill them. Done.

10. People will like you and they’ll love your book. The most incredible feeling you get when your book is published and you start receiving feedback from complete strangers as to how good or even great it is will blow you away. Besides the birth of my children and grandchildren, giving birth to my first novel and holding it in my hands for the first time was nothing short of euphoria. Within its pages or gigabytes lies your blood, sweat and tears. It’s an asexual reproduction of your deepest thoughts and your wildest dreams, and you don’t need an epidural or puff puff blow to bring it into the world — however, a little shot of tequila or in my case RumChata to welcome its arrival never hurt anybody.

Fireflies
Release Day: April 3th, 2013
Genre: Historical Fiction / Paranormal / Historical Irish Fiction

Book Description:
However peculiar Ennis Whelan has been for the first six years of his life, not until the day he found the bird, did the degree of his strangeness become so tangible.

Dr. Owen Whelan and his wife Sarah, both Irish immigrants, have been living the American dream, as well as raising seven bright and expressive children. Their youngest Ennis, however, has since birth, been a bit of a mystery.

Ennis was always small, meek and frightfully odd but there is so much more to him than anyone could have imagined. His sister Teagan grows increasingly suspicious of his behavior but their mother dismisses her claims, until the day he starts healing people.

When Ennis ultimately reveals the gift of sight, he questions his father about visions of his past, including his voyage to America in 1844. Owen prayed he’d never have to share those tragic memories but he will share them, when he realizes he has no choice. Ennis’ life may depend on it.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ Amazon UK ¦ Amazon CA

Amazon IN ¦ Amazon JP ¦ Amazon AU

Hope from the Ocean

Release Day: May 30th, 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction / Paranormal / Historical Irish Fiction

Book Description:
When Owen Whelan revealed his secret, he was set free from a haunting past and an uncertain future for his son, Ennis. However, in order to know the true depths of his heart, first we must follow him all the way back to a dirt road on a chilly and bitter spring dawn in Ireland. Behind the locked doors of his memories and hidden beneath shame, hunger and eventually escape, we learn the true meaning of the proverb, “There’s hope from the ocean but none from the grave.” Owen’s journey will teach him that sometimes you have to cross that ocean not only to survive but to finally find love, life and become the man worthy of your own admiration and respect.

There are turning points in life you cannot come back from but if you’re brave enough, you can begin again.

***Giveaway***

10 Kindle or ePub copies of Fireflies and Hope from the Ocean up for grabs.

Ends April 23 (midnight GMT).

International giveaway.

Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 13 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. The winner will be posted on this page after the winner responds. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.

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Blog Tour Organised By:

Book Blast & Giveaway - Fortune Cookie by Josi Kilpack

Fortune Cookie

Sadie Hoffmiller has always liked things to be just so. A place for everything and everything in its place. Order over chaos. And of all things Sadie should be able to control, her own wedding is at the top of the list.

With the big day just three weeks away, Sadie is busily adding the final touches to her wedding plans but the arrival of a mysterious letter from San Francisco changes everything. The only person Sadie knows in San Francisco is her older sister, Wendy, whom she hasn’t seen since their mother’s funeral nearly fifteen years ago.

Sadie has faced off against murderers and criminals in recent years, yet the possibility of reconnecting with her sister is both overwhelming and frightening. Sadie soon discovers, however, that the letter is just the beginning when Wendy’s world turns out to be a place of unanswered questions, twisted truths, and more than one person with a motive for murder.

The more Sadie digs into her sister’s past, the more she places her own future at risk.

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ Deseret Book ¦ Barnes & Noble

Culinary Mystery Series

Tour Schedule

About the author Josi S. Kilpack

Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then.

She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Lemon Tart, the first book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series was a finalist in 2009. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her husband, children and super-cute cat.

Author Links:

Website ¦ Twitter ¦ Blog

***Giveaway***

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash.

Ends 4/30/14.

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Author Interview & Giveaway - Safe & Sound by T.S. Krupa

Safe & Sound

Author: T.S. Krupa

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: January 1, 2014

Publisher: Advantage Media Group

Pages: 312

Language: English

Format: eBook & Paperback

Book Description:

When great love is lost forever, what does it take to find the courage to move on?

When Jill met Jay Greenfield she knew she had found her forever love. Together their lives were perfect. But when a tragic accident takes Jay’s life, this young bride is left to pick up the pieces. With support from her two childhood best friends, Lanie and Stella, Jill attempts to piece her life back together.

Meanwhile, in the process of settling the estate, Jill learns that her husband was not quite the man she thought he was. She finds herself transported to the small beach town of Oak Island, North Carolina. But the fairy tale ending she envisioned no longer exists. She must face the reality that Jay is gone as she finds herself having a chance at love one more time.

Safe & Sound follows the yearlong journey of love, loss, friendship, and conquering the unexpected.

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ B&N ¦ iBooks ¦ Books A Million

About the author T.S. Krupa

T.S. Krupa was born in New Haven, Connecticut. Raised in a Polish household with a blended American culture, she is fluent in Polish. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Franklin Pierce University,where she also played field hockey. She earned her Master’s from Texas Tech University and plans to graduate with her Doctor of Education from North Carolina State University in 2014. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and her dog. Safe & Sound is her first novel.

Author Links:

Website ¦ Facebook ¦ Twitter ¦ Goodreads

Author Interview

1. What inspired you to write your first book? The book came from two different events in my life. 

The first was a conversation I had with my husband. We were creating our wills (morbid, I know) and had a lot of questions. Questions, like what happens to a young couple when one of them passes away? If you live far away from home do you bury someone where you currently live? The second was after a family vacation to Oak Island, NC. It was so peaceful and rejuvenating that I knew my character's journey would end on the island.

2. Do you have a specific writing style? 

I have a very straight forward writing style. I do very little outlining on paper before hand instead most of my story has been outlined in my head before I sit down to write. Then I sit down put some music on and write. On good days it hours before I look up, on bad days I get distracted after an hour. 

3. How did you come up with the title? 

I had several different versions of a working title but none of them spoke to me or 'felt' right while I was writing. When I finally got to the last chapter, which finds Jill alone in her bedroom, I wrote the lines 'safe and sound' and it connected with me as the title of the novel.

4. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? 

The message that I hope connects with readers is to not take advantage of what you have right now and enjoy it because every day is unexpected. That loss is hard and everyone grieves differently but after weathering the storm it makes you a different but hopefully stronger person.

5. How much of the book is realistic? 

I think the entire book is realistic. It's set in Greensboro, NC and Oak Island, NC which are real locations. Also my characters deal with real life situations and emotion. When I first wrote the novel I had several queries about it being a memoir and it was classified wrong. So the story is made up but realistic within the realm of make-believe.

6. What book are you reading now? 

I am reading, 'David and Goliath' by Malcolm Gladwell. 

7. Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? 

I am so new to the author world and the entire community has been so welcoming that my reading list has grown ten fold of all the authors I have connected with both new and established. I can't wait to read work by them all!

8. What are your current projects? 

I have a new story that I will hopefully start writing at the end of spring when my schedule calms down a little bit. It's a completely new book with new characters. 

9. Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? 

I learned that editing is the most important step of writing the book and also takes the longest!

10. What were the challenges (research, psychological etc) in bringing your story to life? 

Each story has different challenges and in this story it was making sure that the emotion was real and the audience would be able to connect with it.

***Giveaway***

A signed paperback copy of Safe & Sound is up for grabs.

Ends April 22 (midnight GMT).

US only.

Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 13 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winner(s) will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. The winner will be posted on this page after the winner responds. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.

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Cover Reveal: Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Alexander

Love and Other Unknown Variables

by Shannon Alexander

Release Date: 10/07/14

Entangled Teen

No official summary yet…

About the author Shannon Lee Alexander

Shannon Lee Alexander is a wife, mother (of two kids and one yellow terrier named Harriet Potter). She is passionate about coffee, books, and cancer research. Math makes her break out in a sweat. Love and Other Unknown Variables is her debut novel.  She currently lives in Indianapolis with her family.

Author Links:

Blog ¦ Twitter

Cover Reveal Organized By:

Author Spotlight - Slayersoul {Wattpad}

The Awakened Magic (Light Seeker 1)

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Wattpad Book Blurb:

One young witch

One wrong spell

Three evil wizards

Her whole world is shattering around her. And her parents are suffering from her mistake. Will she be able to save them? Is she really having visions of the past or has she finally lost her mind?

If that isn't enough, two different guys from two different worlds are vying for her attention.

Can she overcome the absolute chaos that is now her life?

Author Links:

Wattpad ¦ Facebook ¦ Twitter

Facebook ¦ Twitter

Interview

1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.

Hi, my name is Reshma and I am the co-author of The Awakened Magic (TAM). I am very lazy and some of my passions are reading, writing and watching YouTube videos.

Hey, my name is Dhruvi and I am the other co-author of TAM. I am someone whose plan is to wing everything through life. 

2. What types of books do you write?

Fantasy, Teen Fiction and Dystopian novels.

3. How many books have you written?

TAM is our debut novel and we have plans to write a lot more...

4. What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?

R: the movie I am looking forward to is Divergent and the book is the next novel in the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead.

D: the movie is Need for Speed and the book is In the Still Blue by Veronica Roth.

5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?

R: Teen Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Dystopian and Classical English Literature.

D: Everything Reshma said and Biographies.

6. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

1. Laptop with Wi-Fi.

2. Infinite sustenance.

3. And a bed.

7. Are you considering a sequel?

Definitely.

8. What inspired you to become a writer?

R: In Year Nine, my English teacher made us write stories and that is when I realised that I couldn’t only read, but I could become an author too.

D: I loved reading books and I wanted to become an author so I could put myself in the shoes of the authors of the books I read.

Excerpt

My feet moved in sync to the rhythm of the music. Despite the fact that I was dancing with Sir Roberts, a perfectly handsome gentleman (someone who any young woman would kill to dance with), my heart ached for another. The cheery music drove to a climax and the gentleman in front of me bowed as I, in return, curtsied. 

I was hoping to return to my assigned seat but, however, Sir Roberts did not want to leave me. He was rambling continuously about himself (as if I would even be interested in such a pompous and arrogant man!). My body was there beside Sir Roberts but all my mind could register was the breath-taking creature striding towards me. 

My stomach fluttered with butterflies as his eyes locked on mine, his intense gaze leaving me stray and weak. Next to me, the man babbled on, oblivious to my lack of attention.

I lowered my head when he stopped in front of me, my hair hiding the furious heat that spread to my face and my dress securing my heart from jumping out.

“Pardon me for interrupting, Sir Roberts. But may I steal this lovely maiden away from you?”

My head snapped up at his boldness. As I blushed harder, Mr Arthur Malum led me away from the bewildered and gawking Sir Roberts.

Mr Malum placed a hand at the small of my back and silently guided me towards an exit in the back. When we reached a big, oak tree on the river bank - far away from the ball- he turned and faced me. 

“God, you are beautiful!” he said, taking my hand in his.

I blushed.

“Thank you, Mr Malum.” I said, my head low.

“Ma belle. I keep telling you. Call me Arthur. If you don’t who else is going to?” he whispered, raising my chin with his other hand, so I had no excuse but to look into those beautiful green eyes.

“Arthur.” I said, smiling.

“I love you.” Arthur blurted out, his eyes sparkling.

My eyes widened and a warm glow developed inside me.

“You do?” my voice quivering.

He nodded.

“I love you, ma belle. From the second I set my eyes on you, I have fallen in love with you.” he declared.

We were standing quite close to each other now. 

“So, now the question is, do you love me?” He was holding both my hands.

I could not trust myself to speak so I nodded and smiled as a breath-taking grin split across his face. He leaned towards me and I closed my eyes, anticipating his next move.

“Whoa!” I sat upright, holding my backpack tight to my chest and ready to use as a weapon.

Book Blast & Giveaway - Killer Within by Jeff Gunhus

Killer Within by Jeff Gunhus

Arnie Milhouse is a murderer. A millionaire with dozens of kills in his past and no one the wiser. But when his name surfaces in connection with the death of a D.C. call girl, Arnie knows it’s only a matter of time before the FBI puts the pieces together. As he makes plans to disappear and leave his life in Annapolis behind forever, he meets a beautiful, mysterious woman who takes an interest in him. The perfect final victim. He can’t believe his luck.

Only luck has nothing to do with it. Allison McNeil has returned to Annapolis, a city that she promised herself she would never come back to, not while the cruel memories of her time at the United States Naval Academy still haunt her. But she’s willing to do just about anything to get close to Arnie, even if it means having to face down the demons of her past. Her plans work and soon she and Arnie find themselves locked in a dangerous dance of seduction and betrayal. But Arnie isn’t the only one who carries a secret and the dark truth about Allison McNeil makes a final confrontation between them inevitable. Neither of them know it, but they're on a collision course that only one of them will survive.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Killer Within Excerpt

Arnie Milhouse never considered himself much of a hero. Even as his fingers flexed around the Bic pen he was about to jab into the neck of the man in front of him, he still had his doubts.

Twenty minutes earlier, when he first walked into Rocco’s Convenience and Liquor, the place seemed to stand a good chance of living up to the promise of its name. There was plenty of liquor and not another soul to mess up the convenience of it all. The empty store wasn’t especially unusual for ten-thirty on a Tuesday night. Friday would have been a different story. Workers trading their paychecks for cheap whiskey and smokes; old ladies down to get their Quik Pick lottos; high school kids pimping beers off whoever looked least likely to care about the law. But this was a Tuesday and everything was quiet at Rocco’s.

Arnie shuffled to the back of the store, curling his toes to keep his ill-fitting slippers from sliding off his feet. Vaguely, he wondered if he ought to have put on his shoes before leaving the house. He shrugged away the thought when he reached the wall of refrigerators in the back of the store. He opened the door and pulled out a milk jug. White flakes coated the plastic where past spills had dried, but the expiration date was still a respectable five days away. It would do.

He stood at the counter to pay for his milk, shooting for the minimum acceptable amount of interaction with the acne-tortured teenager brooding behind the cash register. The kid’s face made him think too much about his own awkward adolescence for him to make eye contact for too long. He caught himself running his fingers over the pockmarks left from acne so bad it made him stay home from school some days in embarrassment. He remembered the jokes from other kids, the sympathetic looks from teachers, the tut-tut of the dermatologist who never found a way to help him. He felt a surge of anger at the kid for dredging up those painful memories. Arnie preferred to forget those days. Not that things were much better now.

“What’s that?” the kid asked.

“What?”

“What’s not better now?”

Arnie hadn’t realized he’d said anything. “Nothing. I wasn’t talking to you.”

The kid rolled his eyes and told Arnie how much he owed. Arnie handed over some cash and waited for his change, taking in the space around Rocco’s cash register. It looked like a million other places; the yellowy laminate surface stained and chipped away, rows of ninety-nine cent packets of herbal supplements, a display of Harley-Davidson lighters, walls of breath mints and racks of chewing gum. 

Boring and expected. But then again, what in life wasn’t?

Arnie hadn’t always felt that way. Like any young man, he had once been full of expectation, ready for the road to rise before him in a never-ending adventure. Ready to make his mark. Slay dragons. But none of it was meant to be.

Things had started out in his favor. He was good-looking, filling out and growing into his own during college. He possessed a work ethic and was wicked smart. Even Mensa, the society of high IQs, had been impressed by his intellect and sent him a document to print out certifying that he, Arnie Milhouse, was a damn genius.

You’re so smart that you’re stupid, was his wife’s favorite line, a battering ram that smashed into him the second he had the poor taste to feel good about himself. Problem was, she wasn’t wrong.

He over-analyzed every decision he faced, seeing too many paths to ever choose a direction. This made him indecisive and a chronic second-guesser. It was his nature to not only see faults in others, but to constantly point them out without filter. This critical nature coupled with a lack of any social skills made normal relationships all but impossible.

So, he’d sought refuge in the certainty and the infallibility of math and computers. Over time he turned meek and timid. He didn’t stop to realize the mouse he had let himself become until it was the only thing he knew how to be. He was disgusted with the man he saw in the mirror, but it was the hand life had dealt him.

Then the door to Rocco’s Convenience and Liquor opened and life took an unexpected turn.

Praise for Night Chill:

"...unforgettable, exceptional debut. A primitive ritual and an ancient secret threaten a family's safety in this heart-pounding tale of horrific madness, Guaranteed to trigger night sweats along with a childlike, irrational fear of the creaky attic, Jeff Gunhus's Night Chill will not disappoint horror fans." - Foreword Clarion Reviews - 5 STARS

Gunhus delivers a taut supernatural thriller...the powerful Nate Huckley terrifies, and the assorted cast of human antagonists add to the white-knuckle tension. All the chops of an action-packed horror tale." - Kirkus Reviews

"A masterful storyteller with an eye for eccentric detail...Gunhus exhibits a distinctive style typically found in seasoned authors like Dean Koontz and Stephen King." - Clarion Foreword Reviews 5 STARS

About the author Jeff Gunhus

Jeff Gunhus is the author of the Amazon bestselling supernatural thriller, Night Chill, and the Middle Grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book of the series, 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 book Reaching Your Reluctant Reader has helped hundreds of parents create avid readers. Killer Within is his second novel for adults.

As a father of five, he and his wife Nicole spend most of their time chasing kids and taking advantage of living in the great state of Maryland. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel. If you see him there, sit down and have a cup of coffee with him. You just might end up in his next novel.

Author Links:

Website ¦ Twitter ¦ Facebook

***Giveaway***

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 4/30/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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