Posts Tagged With: excerpt

Exodus 2022 Tour

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Kate Policani

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Exodus 2022

by Kenneth G. Bennett

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal

Touring through Novel Publicity May 19th through June 15th (I’m first!)

Read my review here: http://katepolicanisreviews.wordpress.com/2014/05/18/exodus-2022-by-kenneth-g-bennett/

Book Synopsis

Joe Stanton is in agony. Out of his mind over the death of his young daughter. Or so it seems.

Unable to contain his grief, Joe loses control in public, screaming his daughter’s name and causing a huge scene at a hotel on San Juan Island in Washington State. Thing is, Joe Stanton doesn’t have a daughter. Never did. And when the authorities arrive they blame the 28-year-old’s outburst on drugs.

What they don’t yet know is that others up and down the Pacific coast—from the Bering Sea to the Puget Sound—are suffering identical, always fatal mental breakdowns.

With the help of his girlfriend—the woman he loves and dreams of marrying—Joe struggles to unravel the meaning of the hallucination destroying his mind. As the couple begins to perceive its significance—and Joe’s role in a looming global calamity—they must also outwit a billionaire weapons contractor bent on exploiting Joe’s newfound understanding of the cosmos, and outlast the time bomb ticking in Joe’s brain.

Kenneth G. Bennett is the author of the young adult novels, THE GAIA WARS and BATTLE FOR CASCADIA, and the new sci-fi thriller, EXODUS 2022. A wilderness enthusiast who loves backpacking, skiing and kayaking, Ken enjoys mysteries, science fiction, action adventure stories and, most especially, novels that explore the relationship between humans and the wild. He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and son and two hyperactive Australian Shepherds.

Connect with Kenneth on his website, Facebook, Twitter,or GoodReads..

Excerpt: Chapter 1

Joe Stanton opened his eyes and whispered his daughter’s name. “Lorna Gwin.”

No reply.

“Sweetie? You awake?”

Joe yawned and stared at the popcorn-tiled ceiling, stained here and there with sprawling amoeba-shaped rings, souvenirs of long-ago rainstorms.

He stretched. Shifted position in the bed.

Early morning sunshine stabbed through a crack in the blackout curtains, illuminating the spartan motel room like a searchlight in an abandoned mine. Ella slept quietly beside him, her dark-red hair spilling across two pillows.

“Lorna Gwin?” Joe whispered, louder now. He sat up and swung his feet to the carpet. The adjacent double bed was empty. Rumpled and ruffled, but empty. “Lorna G?”

Must be in the bathroom.

Joe got to his feet. Too fast. “Darlin’?” he croaked, head spinning, hands trembling.

No sound from the bathroom. Nothing.

Something’s wrong.

He crossed the room in three strides, stepping through the bright slash of daylight.

I overslept. Something’s happened.

The bathroom door stood open, revealing an empty tub, shower curtain swept to one side. No sign of the little girl.

“Lorna Gwin,” Joe called, turning and scanning the main room in earnest now.

Ella stirred.

“Lorna?” Joe stepped to the window and shoved the heavy drapes apart, trying to keep his voice steady. “You hidin’, sweetheart? Come on out now.”

Ella rested on her elbows and tracked his movements with startled, sleep-filled eyes. “What is it? What’s going on?”

“Lorna Gwin’s missing.”

Joe threw on a wrinkled T-shirt. Stepped into a pair of cargo shorts.

“What?”

“Lorna Gwin,” Joe replied, exasperated.

He jammed his feet into a pair of Keens and tugged the laces tight. “Probably went down to the lobby to get a soda. I told her not to leave without telling us.”

“What? Joe…Baby—”

The door slammed, and Joe stomped toward the stairs. It was 5:32 a.m.

Categories: Blog Tours | Tags: books, excerpt, Kenneth G. Bennett, novel publicity, reading, review, synopsis, tour | 4 Comments

A Little Animation

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Kate Policani

Click the picture to see a little video I put together on GoAnimate.com! It was a fun little exercise in creating a scene from my book’s descriptions.

Categories: My Books | Tags: animation, book, cartoon, excerpt, GoAnimate, paranormal romance, reading, scene | Leave a comment

Virtual Release Party: A Sneak-peek

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Kate Policani

Sorcery Loves Company

As a special treat for my guests I’m going to give you a peek into the next book of The Convergence series, Sorcery Loves Company. This is a super-raw first chunk of the next book, literally the first complete section I’ve written. I’ve edited it to prevent it from ruining any surprises from the first book!

The day was chilly but the coffee was warm. We hunched over our laptops in the cozy coffee shop, but we pressed together the right side of my body and the left side of his body. When we could spare our near-side hands from typing, those hands went right to PDA mode; messing with hair, rubbing a shoulder. We stole kisses between paragraphs.

Excerpt:

I was with my gorgeous new fiancée, previously my gorgeous new boyfriend. I was completely baffled why such a hot, angelic guy was interested in someone like me, but I certainly wasn’t going to pick it apart.

His phone made a “pew-pew” sound that meant he got a text. He snatched the phone, scowled at it in an adorable manner, and put it down. A few minutes later it pew-pew-ed again and he poked in an irritated reply. Pew-pew! When he looked again I noticed the sender of that message and the previous two: ######. What was that all about? Why was ###### texting him? He hadn’t mentioned that they were in any classes together. They weren’t following the same major either.

After two more texts, I had to ask. “Sweetie, why is he texting you so much?”

For a fraction of a second, his adorable scowl turned into an expression of panic. Even his panic was hot! But something was really wrong.

“It’s just…###### wants something. He wants to take…something from me. I won’t let him.”

The intensity of his eyes scared me a little. He looked ferocious. But that was also incredibly hot and my poor brain was confused between fear and attraction.

“You can tell me,” I said, my pulse pounding.

He replied by looking into my eyes as if he could read my thoughts. My pulse pounded in…certain areas and my heart did a half-gainer. My legs liquefied and I’m sure I was beet-red.

“You shouldn’t worry. I’ll take care of it. There’s nothing for you to bother about.” He said those words but his expression was the same as if he was telling me words of love. Whatever his problem with ###### was, he was protecting me from it. So hot! I decided to let him. Also I was now stupid with adoration, so I couldn’t argue much.

I turned again to my laptop to help stress away the stupor.

“Is this the right way to say this?” I asked, pointing to a tricky sentence in my paper. I was changing the subject and telling him without saying it that I trusted him. He smiled his angelic smile and read the sentence, brushing his cheek on my shoulder as he bent closer to read. He smelled so good! I restrained myself from moaning indecently at his utter deliciousness.

Something about my expression told him what I was thinking, and that it wasn’t about grammar or punctuation. His eyes sparkled and his gorgeous mouth quirked up in a half-grin. Then he kissed me, of course, because I couldn’t have begged for it more if I had whined like a hungry dog. This was no way to get a paper done. But it was a great way to warm me up all the way to my toes. Mmmmm!

I was putty in his hands, but I knew that I could trust him not to be inappropriate, at least not in public. I had two brothers and I knew that you didn’t tempt a guy no matter how polite he was. So our together time was always in public. As much as I wanted to give in to all these steamy feelings for him, I also wanted to stick to my morals. I was going to wait until I was legally married to “go all the way”, and he said he agreed. Sure, it was a strange choice for an American girl to make these days, but it wasn’t so unusual in The Convergence. Being engaged meant something different here, though I wasn’t solid on exactly what. I wasn’t going to sabotage a relationship that was so new and in such a different culture from what I was used to.

Somebody cleared their throat loudly at us. I dragged my lips from his to view the scowl of a barista who wasn’t amused. After she had thoroughly sliced me with her sharp gaze, she morphed into flirt mode to mac on my man. Rude!

“Did you order the half-caf mochachino with three pumps of hazelnut?” she asked in a tone that clearly invited him to sample all her womanly pleasures. Eew! She was definitely hotter than me and probably felt she deserved to switch places with me. I seemed to get variations on this kind of attack frequently, especially off-campus. Skupdyn girls just couldn’t stand to see a shlub like me with a heavenly hottie like him. They felt the need to intervene on his behalf and save him from a death by boredom. I couldn’t really blame them.

He slipped his hand to the back of my neck and kneaded it in a gesture that left no doubt that we were together by his choice.

He looked at the barista without a hint of attraction and said, “I’m terribly sorry, but I have my coffee right here. It must belong to someone else.” Just as her coffee-related sexual invitation meant something other than the words spoken, so did his reply. I was his coffee and the coffee she was offering wasn’t to his tastes. The barista blushed so hard I was afraid something would burst. Then she slunk away in defeat. I rewarded him with a smile and a caress.

How did such a regular chick like me land such a delectable dude and his enormous diamond engagement ring? Magic!

Categories: Book Launch | Tags: book, excerpt, Fantasy, paranormal, reading, Romance, sequel, sneek peek | 1 Comment

Blog tour: The Day of First Sun

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Kate Policani

Please enjoy this excerpt from the urban fantasy novel, The Day of First Sun. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including $450 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

Sturtagaard chose not to speak, though it was he who had called for the meeting. They both checked their watches and realized they had been sitting across from him for ten minutes, watching him sniff the air. If he wanted to play this, they would play along at least for a little while longer, though both were tired of the leering. As the vampire sniffed again, Cham finally figured out why.

“You know, you called us. We really don’t have anything to say to you, so if you’re just playing games, we’re happy to leave. I’ve got other, more important things to do than watch you sniff and leer,” Cham finally said, and stood up.

Sturtagaard smiled as he watched Cham open the door because he much preferred dealing with Annie, but when she stood up, too, he realized he’d overplayed his hand.

“If I talk, my employer will have me staked. I’d like some assurance that you won’t do the same,” he said rather quickly, before they left.

They turned and looked at him, both rolling their eyes.

“I’ll have you staked if you don’t talk,” replied Cham, as he stood by the door.

“You’re out of options if you ever hope to get out of here again,” Annie said calmly, focusing on his face.

Sturtagaard squirmed a little in his seat, as Annie’s expression was somewhat disquieting and unemotional. He looked at Cham, whose face was expressionless, and then back to Annie, who hadn’t moved a muscle. The vampire sighed.

“You heard right. I was hired to create a zombie army to overthrow the Wizard Council,” Sturtagaard said. His voice remained steady and calm with resignation.

“Who wants to overthrow the Council?” asked Cham, his hand still clutching the door.

“My employer. I’ve told you, I don’t know who he is. I always dealt with his associate. He’d show up, leave notes, or send others with messages. I’ve never contacted him.” He looked from one to the other, but they both remained stony and detached. “Come on, now. I can’t give you information I don’t have.” Sturtagaard was charming.

Annie rolled her eyes again. “You really don’t have any idea who the employer is?” she asked with sarcasm.

“Really, I don’t,” he said.

“So you’re building an army of the dead. How long did you have to get this done?” Annie took out her phone and pulled out her calendar.

“He wanted it ready for September first.”

Annie looked up with a grimace, and Cham looked surprised. She didn’t need to mark the date on her calendar or research its significance, though neither could figure out why a zombie army had to be created for that day, the Day of First Sun. It was a very powerful and ancient day for good magic.

“So, your employer wants an army of the dead on that day? Why?” Cham asked in a flat, emotionless voice.

“He’s a black wizard. What do you think he wants? He wants to overthrow the Council, take over the world, practice magic in the open. You know, the typical magical fantasy.” Sturtagaard grinned because he believed that would benefit the entire supernatural world.

“Wipe the smirk off your face, Sturtagaard. Having free reign won’t be as good as you think, with all the angry mobs, torches, and stakes through the heart.”

Annie smirked at Cham, who shook his head and laughed. He waited to compose himself before looking back at the vampire.

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Day of First Sun eBook edition is just 99 cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include $450 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

Purchase your copy of The Day of First Sun for just 99 cents
Fill-out the simple form on Novel Publicity
Visit today’s featured social media event

Help my blog win:

The tour blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card. When you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry form, don’t forget to VOTE FOR ME.

About the book: A vampire, a rogue wizard and an army of soulless zombies are par for the course for Annie Pearce and Bobby “Cham” Chamsky of the Wizard’s Guard. But when the non-magical princess, Amelie of Amborix, is murdered by magical means, a deeper plot unfolds. Get it on Amazon.

About the author: Behind the wheel of her ’66 Mustang Convertible, Sheryl is a constant surprise, using her sense of humor and relatable style make her books something everyone can enjoy. Visit Sheryl on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Categories: Blog Tours | Tags: Author, blog tour, book, day of first sun, excerpt, novel publicity, publicity, sheryl steines | 3 Comments

Whirlwind Book Tour Book 5: Farsighted by Emlyn Chand

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Kate Policani

Yes, you have seen this book before on my site! To see my review from the Farsighted debut tour, go to http://katepolicanisreviews.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/farsighted-by-emlyn-chand/

Announcing the Farsighted Social Media Whirlwind Tour!

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Farsighted eBook edition is just 99 cents this week.

What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including lots of Amazon gift cards (up to $100 in amount) and 5 autographed copies of the book. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 30th, so you don’t miss out.

To Win the Prizes

Purchase your copy of Farsighted for just 99 cents on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
Fill-out the form on Novel Publicity to enter for the prizes
Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book or a $50 gift card!
BONUS: If you leave a comment on this blog post, you have another chance at $100!
DOUBLE BONUS: If I receive more comments than any other blogger, *I* win $100.

…And I can win too!

Over 100 bloggers are participating in this gigantic event, and there are plenty of prizes for us too. The blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card as well. So when you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry form, don’t forget to say that I referred you, so I can get a point in the poll.

The Featured Events include:

Monday, a guest blog on Novel Publicity! Emlyn kicks off the tour on the Novel Publicity Free Advice blog by discussing her brightly burning passion for books in a guest post entitled “My journey through the pages and toward a life-long love of reading.” One commenter will win an autographed copy of Farsighted. Don’t forget to enter for the other contest prizes while you’re over there!

Tuesday, Twitter sharing contest! A tweet is tiny, only 140 characters. But on Tuesday, it could win you $50. Send the following tweet across the twittersphere, and you just may win a $50 Amazon gift card. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs. The winners will be announced Wednesday morning. Here’s the tweet: Looking for a fun read to round out your holiday break? The paranormal YA hit Farsighted is just 99 cents! http://ow.ly/81Dt1 #whirlwind

Wednesday, Google+ sharing contest! Yup, there’s yet another awesome opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card, and this time it just takes a single click! Visit Google+ and share Emlyn Chand’s most recent post (you’ll see the Stay Farsighted book cover included with it). On Thursday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs. Two chances to win with just one click! How about that?

Thursday, Facebook sharing contest! Stop by Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share their latest post (you’ll see the Farsighted book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs.

Friday, special contest on the author’s site! Are you ready for some more fun? Take a picture of yourself with your copy of Farsighted either in paperback or on an eReading device, then post it to Emlyn Chand’s Facebook page or email a copy to author@emlynchand.com. You just way win one of three Amazon gift cards! A $100 prize will go to the photo with the most interesting setting (so put your holiday travel time to work for you). Another $50 will go the funniest photo, and one more prize of $50 will go the scariest photo—this is a paranormal YA book after all. An autographed copy of Farsighted will go to one randomly selected entrant. For more details about this contest, please visit www.emlynchand.com.

Remember, it’s all about the books!

About Farsighted: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Farsighted is the winner of the 2011 Dragonfly eBook Awards. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the Author: Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Now please enjoy this exciting excerpt from Farsighted…

“Did Dad tell you? A new tenant moved into the old pharmacy next door.”

“Really?” I ask, not letting on I already know. If I feign ignorance, Mom’ll divulge all the details. “What is it?”

“It’s a psychic shop,” Her voice crackles with excitement like a fire that’s just beginning to burn. “The All-Seeing Miss Teak. Isn’t that cute? Miss Teak, Mystic. Ha, I wonder if that’s her real name.”

I laugh. “That is funny. Never had a psychic in town before. What’s she like?”

“Oh, she’s very friendly. Why don’t you go over and say ‘hi.’ I’m sure she’d like to meet you.”

“Okay, I think I will.” I’m incredibly intrigued, because first off, it’s a psychic shop—how weird is that?—and second, its presence made Dad super uncomfortable—also very cool. I waste no time heading next door to check out the scene.

As I step cautiously into the new shop, a recording of soft, instrumental music greets me. I can make out chimes and a string instrument I don’t recognize but for some reason reminds me of snake charmers. The smell of incense fills my nostrils, which explains the burning I detected earlier.

“Hello?” I call out into the otherwise quiet room.

Nobody answers. I walk in deeper, sweeping my cane out in front of me in a metronome fashion. This place is new to me, so I need to be especially careful while moving around.

Thump! Despite my precautions, I stub my toe on something hard, big, and made of wood. Just my luck to stub the same toe twice in one day. I reach down to press my fingers into my throbbing foot to alleviate some of the pain. Something teeters before rolling off of the chest and across the floor; the sound it makes indicates a curved path. Suddenly, the object stops. Somebody’s stopped it.

“Hello?” I call again.

“Hello,” a deep, feminine voice responds, placing more emphasis on the first syllable than the second.

“I- I’m sorry I knocked that thing over. I didn’t mean to…” I hope she’s not angry. Probably not a good idea to get on a psychic’s bad side.

“That wasn’t just a thing, it’s a crystal ball,” she says as she walks over, sending my blood pulsing through my veins. I sense her looking at me for a moment before she places the ball back on top of the chest.

“Can it see the future?” I ask, allowing my curiosity to outweigh my uneasiness.

“No.” After a pause lasting several beats, she continues. “But I can see the future sometimes when I look into it.”

“Oh, okay.” I tighten my hand around my cane and turn to leave. It may not be the most polite thing to do, but all of this hocus-pocus stuff is freaking me out more than I would’ve guessed.

The psychic lady speaks again, stopping me cold. “Don’t run away, Alex Kosmitoras.” She must’ve spoken to Mom earlier today. That must be how she knows my name.

“I’m not running away,” I say meekly. “I’m just going back over to Sweet Blossoms.”

“Don’t run away,” she repeats—this time she speaks louder and with more energy. “Don’t run away from your abilities. They are gifts.”

“What?” I ask in confusion. What abilities is she talking about?

“You already know. Watch. Listen. Be open to your gifts.”

I turn to face Miss Teak, but find she’s already gone, returning to wherever she was before I got there.

Is it safe to leave? I trail my fingers across the wooden box I ran into earlier; a thick coat of dust clings to the tips as I pull away. If this shop just opened, why is it already so dirty? I wipe my hands over my shirt to get the gritty substance off. Shivers rock my whole body. Something about this place is wrong, and I’m not sticking around to figure out what. Tapping my cane along the floor, I’m able to find the exit without knocking into anything else.