Sneak Preview into "Paranormal"

Like I hinted in my last post, I've started working on a new novel. It's tentatively named "Paranormal" and I'm not sure if the name will stick. But I'm going to give you a sneak peek into some of its contents.

I hope you like what you see. Whilst you wait for this one, go out and buy Nightmare at Emerald High

Mia found herself walking through a darkened room. This room looked very familiar, she knew that she’d been there before but she couldn’t place it. She sat in a beautiful winged back chair and fingered the wood carvings on the exquisite book case in front of her. Whoever owned this house loved to read. The shelves in front of her were over flowing with volumes. This must be the spot where the home owner does their reading she thought.

She got off the chair and wondered around the room, touching delicate china figurines. A plaque hanging on the wall caught her attention. It said:

To:

Hilda May Smith

for

outstanding service and contributions

to

the Lucy Light Sisterhood.

The plaque was dated June 6, 1980, Mia’s Birthday. Mia turned and continued to examine the room when a movement in the corner of her eye startled her.

There was an older lady now seated in the winged-backed chair that she had just vacated. She was reading a little black book, much like the one Mia found in her apartment.

“Grandma?” Mia asked. The lady was older and a lot more wrinkled. Her face sagged and she looked like she’d lost 100 pounds but it was definitely her grandmother. She wore a gown that was once white but now yellowed by age.

“Yes Mia,” said the older woman. “Come sit with me.”

The lady pointed to the floor at her feet and Mia sat cross-legged just as she used to as a child.

“Mia, do you know  your destiny?”

“To become a nurse?” she replied. What else could the old lady possibly be talking about.

“No Mia, that’s just a job. Your destiny is to become the most powerful woman in this city. It’s in your blood. The women of this family for generations have ruled and now it’s your turn.”

Mia stared at the older woman through eyes wide as saucers.

“What do you mean? What kind of power?” she asked.

“Power to do anything you want, Mia, anything.” replied the woman. “Wake up, come visit me.”

“But Grandma, you’re dead.”

My child, you shall soon learn, that not everything is as it seems.

In case you're wondering

For those of you who may have been wondering what I've been up to for the past few days, I've started a new book. Yup! I did. I know that I stated on my twitter feed and my Facebook page that I'd be taking a break to do some studying.... well, I got bored with that. Writing is so much more fun and the ideas just keep flowing in my head so I gave in.

This next one will be pure thriller. I think it will be short, a novella maybe. But I'm pretty excited about it.

I'll give you a sneak pre-view when I'm further along.

Hint: I'm in boot camp for this one and I have a couple weeks off from work, so you'll see it pretty soon, I promise.

Till then, motivate me by buying the other two!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1468027026

Thanks for all your support, you have been great! 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/146627557X

Interview with Malcolm Drake

Have you ever read a book and felt like you needed to have a chat with one of the characters, maybe find out what was going through their head whilst the went through what they did? Well here's your chance. Meet Malcolm Drake, star of Nightmare at Emerald High.

Interviewer: So, Malcolm, tell us something about yourself.

Malcolm: Well um, as you know, my name is Malcolm and I'm a student at Emerald High School in the quiet town of Sea View. I live with my dad and I have no brothers or sisters. I love computers and I'm an all A student. 

Interviewer: Wow, all A's huh? What do you want to be when you grow up?

Malcolm: Well, I want to study computer science and then start my own software company.

Interviewer: Really? That sounds great. Have you ever written a computer program?

Malcolm: Well yes, that's what I was working on in the basement of the school in my free time. 

Interviewer: Wow. Ok. We understand that you've had a pretty rough summer, why don't you tell us a little bit about that.

Malcolm: Well, I don't really like to talk about it, but I'll try just for the readers out there. I was pretty excited to join that scholarship program you know. I saw how my dad worked so hard to provide for me and I just wanted to be able to give him a break you know. That way he could quit his second job and not worry about me so much. But man, that program was just weird from the beginning. I mean at first, we thought hey, this is new science you know, a new way of looking at things. But that day in the basement when that dead lady showed up, I almost peed my pants. I was so terrified. I knew it was time to get out of the program. 

Interviewer: Oh my, a dead person showed up? That must have been really scary. You said at that point you knew it was time to get out of the program, but you ended up going back to the school in the middle of the night. Tell us about that.

Malcolm: Well, I wanted out of the program. But, they introduced us to some special friends - I now know that they're called Spirit Guides. I really wanted to be with my friend Sunny, you know. She was really pretty and I think I was falling in love with her. She was like, the girl of my dreams, she made me feel happy. But I guess I was just being manipulated. They used her to get me to go to that school in the middle of the night. (Malcolm breaks into tears)

Interviewer: I know that was a very difficult night for you Malcolm, take your time. Cry if you need to.

Malcolm: Thanks, but I'll continue. They did horrible things to me in that basement. Held me against my will. They tried to hypnotise me. 

Interviewer: Wow, did it work?

Malcolm: No, there were so many people praying for me. God protected me. They let me go thinking I was hypnotised and I would do their bidding, but God kept my mind safe.

Interviewer: Wow, Malcolm you really have shared a lot with us. Thanks for opening up and sharing about those difficult moments in the basement of that school. I do hope that you can finish your high school education and still earn a scholarship. All the best Malcolm, take care.


So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, Malcolm Drake telling us about his experiences at the Emerald High school, I you want to read more about that, go on down to Amazon.com or your favourite ebook store and pick up a copy of the book. Or just Click here!

The Ford Page 99 Test of Rise from the Ashes

Ford Madox Ford, novelist, poet and editor, said, "Open the book to page ninety-nine and read, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you."

So what do you think about page 99 of Rise from the Ashes?

Here's a short excerpt of the page
"Alyssa felt guilty for her mother's death but she told no one. She'd attended her funeral but she barely remembered what transpired there. She realised then, that she was now alone in the world. There was no body else on the planet directly related to her and that notion scared her. For now, all she had to rely on, was the kindness of strangers; one who had turned into her best friend and the other, the love of her life."

Nightmare at Emerald High Giveaway!

You're here because you want a chance to win my new book Nightmare at Emerald High for free!

So here's what you gotta do:

The first three people to follow this blog starting NOW (5:08pm GMT -4:00) will win the kindle version of the book! Yup, all you gotta do, is click the little "join this site" button on the right and you'll get your chance to win. If you don't have a kindle but you have another ereader, we can work something out for you too, so don't worry, you won't be left out!

Follow this blog now for your chance to win! 

Reviewers can be sooo scary!

So I've started the process of having as many book bloggers as possible reviewing my book or featuring it on their blogs. Hopefully, you'll see more of me in the coming weeks.

It's a bit scary going out there in the public eye. Any artist would be possessive of their work and trust me, I am. IT's a bit scary, asking people to review you. You know they're going to be honest so you just have to sit there and pray that they like it enough to give you a good review.

So that's what I'm doing, submitting to book blogs, planning my next book and reviewing for others in the mean time.

I hope to provide you with something new to feed on in March 2012.

Thanks for all your support friends! 

Twiddling my thumbs...

Now that Nightmare at Emerald High is done, I don't know what to do with my time. For many months I did nothing but write every free hour I had. Last month was the worst, I lived and breathed that book.  My goal was to finish the book by the end of November. I met that goal, the book was published and now I'm sitting here, twiddling my thumbs. I have several ideas for new books that I want to get done in the new year, but I haven't settled on which one I should write first. Till then, I can't put pen to paper...errr....fingers to keyboard.

So I guess, maybe for the next couple of weeks, I should take a load off, use my Netflix subscription and pay more attention to my kindle. Amanda Hocking has got me sucked into her writing, so who knows, maybe I'll read another one of her novels.

If you wanna hear more from me...I've launched a new book blog and since I don't know what to write just yet, I'll be posting reviews of all the books I spend the rest of the year reading. Follow me at www.365bookwormz.blogspot.com 

Till then, to all my wonderful supporters, go out and grab your copy of Nightmare at Emerald High for the low introductory price of $0.99! 

A Sequel for Nightmare at Emerald High?

Originally, when I wrote Nightmare at Emerald High, I didn't intend for it to have a sequel. It was just a book that I wanted to write and then I had plans for another project. But today, I think Nightmare at Emerald High may get a sequel. I'll call the Series Tangled Web. As to whether there'll be a third book? Who knows. But today I start plotting for the sequel....

We'll see how that goes. 

Editing is Important!!!

Aside from writing it, editing is the most important thing you could do for your book.  A few errors in your book could chase your readers away. They may read the whole book, but they won't recommend it to the friends, and they won't buy the next one in the series. They'll say "nice story", but they'll think you're an amateur. But even if you are, nobody needs to know right?

So, before that book hits the shelf, as an indie publisher, read, re-read and then get a good editor to read and re-read again.

Your editor must :

• be honest - they need to tell you the truth even if they think it will hurt you
• have a keen eye - sometimes it's hard to spot a missing letter or word, it's easy for the human brain to fill in the gaps so having a keen eye is very important

All in all, take pride in your work. Take pride in it's presentation and ensure that your best foot is always forward. Your book represents you, it's your commercial and let's face it, you wouldn't put out a crappy commercial. Don't let your good work get passed over because you didn't look twice. 

Nightmare at Emerald High - Finally on Kindle

Grab your kindle, head to the kindle store and get your copy of Nightmare at Emerald High! Quick!

Yes, it's finally here! I'm pleased to present to my faithful readers the latest addition to my published titles, Nightmare at Emerald High.

For now, the eBook is available only for kindle, but don't feel left out  if you have a Nook, or an iPad or a Sony eReader. It will available for these platforms soon and the paperback edition will be available next week.

So ladies and gentlemen, grab your copy whilst it's hot! 

Book Description: 

Malcolm Drake is on the home stretch towards the end of high school when a tantalizing scholarship offer comes his way. 

Malcolm and several other classmates eagerly join a program called Alternative Science that promises to open their minds to new ways of thinking and of course, help them win that scholarship. Little do they know that this program would test their sanity. With eerie séances and encounters with spirit guides the teens slowly become entangled in the world of the occult. 

With the program being run by the town's most influential people, will the kids escape with their innocence?

Read Nightmare at Emerald High for Free!

For all you wonderful kindle owners out there, Nightmare at Emerald High will be available for FREE on Wednesday December 14! Yes, That's right for FREE! If you love a good freebee, then grab this chance to own my latest novel for free. Remember, it's only for one day, so set it up in your calendars and head on down to the kindle store on December 14!

If you're a kindle owner and you have an Amazon Prime account, then guess what? You can now borrow Nightmare at Emerald High from the Kindle Owners Lending Library, effective immediately.

Don't own a kindle Device? You can still grab your free copy if you download and install Kindle for PC or for your iPad and a host of other tablets and mobile devices. Nobody is left out of this promotion!

You've read the extracts that I've posted, I'm sure you're just dying to read more!!!!

Don't miss out on these wonderful chances to read my book for free!!!!

Nightmare at Emerald High

A few months ago I gave you a sneak peak into the project I was working on then. I'm happy to report that Nightmare at Emerald High is finally complete.  I expect the eBook to hit the Amazon Kindle book store early next week, with the Nook, Sony, Apple and Deisel eBook stores to follow in the next few weeks. Want the printed copy? You can get those next week too, on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles. In case you forgot, here's another peak.

He was running down that hallway again, moving as fast as his legs would carry him. His breath came in short bursts as his lungs struggled to keep up with his body’s oxygen demands. He was sprinting for all his worth but his legs seemed to be going nowhere. He could hear the footsteps of his pursuer behind him. They landed on the tile urgently and Malcolm willed his legs to move faster. He felt like his was stuck. His legs were moving but he wasn’t moving forward. He looked down, and saw a black conveyor belt beneath his feet. He was running, but going nowhere because he was on a treadmill! Huh? Malcolm turned around just in time to see his assailant reach him. The man grabbed him and dragged him off the treadmill.

“Why do you keep chasing me?” Malcolm shouted at the top of his lungs. The entire class stood still. Even the clock on the wall that tick-tocked happily all day seemed to stand still in protest to Malcolm’s outburst. Pretty soon a few snickers could be heard around the classroom. Students slowly began to realize that he had been asleep and was probably dreaming.

“Mr. Drake! How dare you make such an outburst in my class! Were you asleep?”

Malcolm wished he could crawl into a hole and die. Mr. Sandino stared at him so intently he thought a laser beam might shoot out from the man’s eyes at any second and hit him square in the forehead. Malcolm almost wished it was true. At least it would put an end to his misery, and his embarrassment.

He fell asleep in class and he got caught. There was no denying it. His notebook was damp from the beads of sweat on his forehead. Apparently he’d used it as a pillow. He looked around the room and noticed that his classmates were pointing and laughing at something on his face.

‘Oh no! Don’t tell me I dribbled on myself too!” he thought.  

He shyly ran a hand around the edges of his mouth and felt the unmistakable moisture. Yup, not only had he fallen asleep in class but he dribbled too. Not to mention his outburst at the end of his dream.

“Mr. Drake,” Mr. Sandino was saying, “if this class is not interesting enough for you to want to stay awake in, perhaps you should visit with the school principal. I’m sure he can find something more interesting for you to do.”

“Sorry sir”, Malcolm muttered under his breath as he grabbed his book bag and notebooks and headed for the door. He could hear the stifled laughter of his classmates and he was sure that had it been another teacher aside from stern Mr. Sandino, there’d be peals of laughter pouring out from the room.  He didn’t dare turn to see who was laughing, instead, he walked out that door as quickly as his legs could carry him and this time they didn’t betray him. He started walking down the hall towards the principal’s office, but then he changed his mind. In his four years at this school he’d never been sent to the principal’s office. Usually, he was a model student and gave his teachers no reason to boot him out of class. Today was an entirely different story but Malcolm seriously did not feel like being punished.

What would the world be like with no Christians?

Imagine a world where right was relative, wrong was your decision and everything goes. Prisons are outlawed, parents no longer punished and self preservation ruled the world.

Can you imagine....

Look for it in my next novel....Coming March 2012.

In the meantime enjoy Nightmare at Emerald High coming this December and Rise from the Ashes already in most book stores.