Thursday, July 25, 2013

The Rising - Lynn C. Willis

I'd like to welcome a writer new to me, Ms. Lynn Willis, but she's certainly not new to the writing field.

Welcome, Lynn, I understand you were a reporter at one time.

LOL I'm a reluctant reporter, if that. I used to own/publish/edit/write for a small town newspaper. Loved writing features, but hated/dreaded real "news" writing.

Well, I won't dwell on it for long, but I understand your previous book Unholy Covenant was based on a true story that you covered in the news at the time.

That's true. The murder in Unholy Covenant happened in my little town so I "covered" it for my paper then wrote a book about it after the trials.

Well, I'm very glad that your dislike for writing "news" did not stop you from sharing your gift with words. I thoroughly enjoyed The Rising and look forward to many more stories in the future.

Thanks for stopping by.

Now here's a peek at her latest release, The Rising.
Blurb:

A little boy, beaten and left to die in an alley. A cop with a personal life out of control. When their worlds collide, God intervenes. Detective Ellie Saunders's homicide investigation takes a dramatic turn when a young victim "wakes up" in the morgue. The child has no memory prior to his "rising" except walking with his father along a shiny road. Ellie likes dealing with facts. She'd rather leave all the God-talk to her father, a retired minister, and to her partner, Jesse, a former vice cop with an annoying habit of inserting himself into her life. But will the facts she follows puts Ellie's life in mortal danger? And will she finally allow God into her heart forever?


Excerpt:

“The kid’s not dead.”

Despite the middle-of-the-night grogginess, Ellie Saunders bolted awake at Sergeant Jack Walker’s announcement resonating through the telephone. She adjusted the receiver cupped to her ear and shoved away the comforter. “How can he be not dead?” She swung her legs over the side of the bed.


“The hospital just called. They said we might want to come down there. Our homicide victim isn’t a homicide victim after all.”

Ellie brushed the tangled hair from her eyes. “What did he do, come back to life?”

“Apparently.”

She had meant it as a joke, but by the tone of Jack’s voice, her boss was dead serious.

Ellie’s back straightened. A sudden chill wrapped itself around her, and it had nothing to do with her freezing cold bedroom. The dead kid had been found in an alley, no identification. From the looks of him, he had been beaten to death. Blood matted his blond hair into sharp clumps, and purple bruises the size of Ellie’s fist covered his little body. About four or five years old, maybe thirty-five to forty pounds, he was wearing a blue t-shirt with a red Superman emblem and green nylon shorts, no socks, and untied sneakers that were too big for his tiny feet. The brutality of his beating was hard for Ellie to comprehend—or forget.

“Ellie? You there?” Jack asked.

“Uh…yeah, sorry.” Her mind was reeling. That kid was dead. There was no way he could suddenly be alive.

“Meet me at the hospital in thirty.”

She started to ask for forty-five, but he had already hung up. She sat for a minute, trying to make some sense of what Jack had just told her. There was no way. The kid was DOA. At least he had been thirty-six hours ago. She’d worked a thirty-hour shift gathering what little information and evidence she could before falling into bed sometime after midnight.

Ellie forced herself to stand and then padded to her closet. She took out a white linen blouse and a pair of dark colored jeans. She tucked her blouse into her jeans then pulled on her navy blazer. Jack would probably fuss about the jeans, but at four o’clock in the morning, this was the best she could do.

She returned to the bed and pulled her holstered Glock and badge from the nightstand drawer. She wrapped the holster around her waist then instinctively touched the butt of the Glock resting at her hip.

A few minutes later, she was speeding through town on her way to Burkesboro Regional Hospital. The town tucked into the foothills of the North Carolina mountains was dead at this time—much the same way the kid was hours ago.
How could this kid not be dead? There was no pulse, no heartbeat. Nothing. His little body had already gone cold and stiff. And now she was supposed to believe he wasn’t dead? She’d believe it when she saw it. Maybe.


That certainly leaves me wanting to know more!

To celebrate, Ms. Willis is holding an all day cyber release party with give-aways, fun contests, and more. Drop by and join in the fun.

 
Buy Link:

 http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/the-rising

About the author:
Lynn Chandler-Willis has worked in the corporate world (hated it!), the television news business (fun job) and the newspaper industry (not a fan of the word "apparently" and phrase "according to"). She keeps coming back to fiction because she likes making stuff up and you just can't do that in the newspaper or television news business.
She was born, raised, and continues to live in the heart of North Carolina within walking distance to her kids and their spouses and her nine grandchildren. She shares her home, and heart, with Sam the cocker spaniel.
She is the author of the best-selling true crime book, Unholy Covenant. 

The Rising is her debut novel. 

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Thursday's Child - Clare Revell

Welcome, Clare! I can't believe we're already up to Thursday's Child. This series is just flying by and each one is more wonderful than the last! You certainly have sharpened your suspense building skills!

Monday’s Child must hide for protection,
Tuesday’s Child tenders direction,
Wednesday’s Child grieves for his soul,
Thursday’s Child chases the whole,
Friday’s Child is a man obsessed,
Saturday’s Child might be possessed,
And Sunday’s Child on life’s seas is tossed,
Awaiting the Lifeboat that rescues the lost.


Thursday's Child chases the whole...


Broken...with bits missing. That's how Niamh, senior prosecutor for the CPS, feels when she wakes in hospital severely injured with no knowledge what happened--for the past ten years. A tall man in a firefighters uniform claims he's her husband. While he's everything she's ever dreamed of in a man and more, she doesn't know him. And if he was so important why can't she remember? Was there something so terrible, so painful in her marriage, her mind has suppressed it?

First on the scene at a horrific accident, Jared Harkin is devastated to find his wife one of the injured. He's already lost a child, can he live through this? Niamh survives the crash, but awakens with ten years missing and no memories of their life together. Determined to help her remember the past and their love, he sets about wooing her all over again. But are some things best forgotten?

As Niamh struggles to remember, the investigation into the accident reveals foul play. Did her recent caseload have anything to do with the attempt on her life? Or was it someone closer to her? As bit and pieces of memory return, the attacker strikes again. Can she piece together the whole of her past before it's too late?

Excerpt:

“Hey, Jared. Phone.”

Jared looked up from the pile of equipment he was cleaning at Cedarwood Fire Station. “Be right there.” He stood and brushed the dust from his uniform trousers. Tugging down his navy T-shirt, he ran to the office. “Who is it, Skippy?” he asked the firefighter sitting at the desk.

“Your wife. Make it quick.” Pete Callaghan, the duty officer for Green Watch, known as Skippy due to his Australian accent, rose, moving to the side to give Jared some privacy.
Jared picked up the phone. Eight years married and still the sound of Niamh’s voice sent a warmth down his spine. He just wished things were better between them. “Hey, Niamh. How did it go?”

“It went good. I won. The defendant changed his plea to guilty.”

“I keep telling you that you’re scary in those robes.” Jared laughed. “Does this mean I can take you out to celebrate tonight? It is tradition after all. Maybe we could talk over dinner.”

“Talking isn’t going to change anything, but OK. Far be it for me to be the one to break with tradition.” She sighed. “We’ll go to that new Chinese place you wanted to try. I’ll make a reservation for eight fifteen.”

“That sounds great. Gives me time to shower and change when I get home.”

“Yeah.”

The alarm bells began their shrill call to duty ring. Jared wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not. “Niamh, I got to run. See you tonight. I love you.”

“Love you too, Jarrie Jace.” Her voice sounded stilted as she gave him the standard answer. Did she mean it? He dismissed the thought. No matter how rough a patch they were going through, Niamh had never lied to him. She hated liars as much as he did.
Jared hung up, tore the message specifying the details of the fire from the printer, and ran out into the main section, shouting as he went. “Both pump and ladder, house fire at One Five Four Whitgate Road, persons reported.” He handed the sheets to the drivers of both fire engines and pulled on his fireproof clothing.

The familiar surge of adrenaline filled him. He loved his job and the fact that what he did saved lives. Climbing in the fire engine, he leaned back in the seat and took a deep breath.
Lord, be with us on this shout. Protect us, help us do our jobs to the best of our abilities. Give us the strength to save lives, to be alert and hear the weakest of cries for help. Enable me to give my best. You alone know what awaits us on this shout. If I am to lose my life, Lord, be with Niamh, and protect and comfort her. Above all, grant me the courage to sacrifice my life in the line of duty without thinking twice about it.

A hand touched his leg. He opened his eyes and looked at Phil Rodgers, the watch manager. “Yes, Sub?” It was kind of funny how they all still called him by his old rank title. The new one of ‘Watch Manager A’ didn’t have the same ring to it. 

“The lads noticed you do that every time we go on a shout, but none of them wanted to ask. Tell them what you’re doing.”

“Praying.” He held the gaze of the senior officer.

Phil smiled and gave a warning glance to the young men. “Nobody’s going to mock you for doing that, least of all me. I don’t think there are many of us that don’t say the Firefighter’s Prayer every so often.”

Jared nodded and addressed the newer firemen. “And I believe what I’m saying. It’s not just words to me.”

Skippy nudged him. “Well, let’s just hope you don’t find out if God really does exist today.”

“I know He exists and meeting Him is something I am looking forward to doing. And if it’s today, then so be it. If not, I go home to Niamh, and we celebrate being alive and loved by God and her winning another case.”

The fire engine pulled to a stop outside a blazing house. “Here we go.” Jared tugged his helmet on securely and jumped out.


Review:

*****

Oh, my, Ms. Revell has certainly written a real heartbreaker here while keeping some deep, dark secrets hidden from us.  

First, what could be more heartbreaking than an emergency responder not being able to help a loved one in a life threatening, touch and go situation? And this is just the opening! Then sitting at Niamh’s side with Jared is as hard on the reader as it is on him! To have someone you love not remember who you are is enough to tear your heart out. Then to toss an unknown danger on top of that will certainly keep you hovering on edge. If you like a bit of romance with a lot of suspense you will certainly enjoy this story…and go looking for the next one.

Buy links:
http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/thursdays-child

http://www.amazon.com/Thursdays-Child-ebook/dp/B00DSF7ZR0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1373060039&sr=1-1&keywords=thursday%27s+child+clare+revell

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thursdays-child-clare-revell/1115919188?ean=9781611162455

Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day

The  4th of July is a wonderful reminder of what freedom truly meant to the founding fathers of this country. They fought and sacrificed greatly for these freedoms that we sometimes take for granted. I for one am thankful to them, as well as to all of those who have served in any way to help keep those freedoms alive and well in this country.

The Constitution well defined their intentions. 

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America.

Fireworks are used for a reason to celebrate this day. Let us remember all those who came before to gain these freedoms, and all those who still serve to retain them for us.

...and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh say, does that star spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

God bless America!