Saturday, March 23, 2013

Cover Reveal: Opal's Song by SJ Byrne

Author SJ Byrne has just revealed the cover to her latest novel, Opal's Song. You can find the cover at the end of the post, but read on to find out more about the book and your favorite author. SJ has also been kind enough to include a teaser to Opal's Song. Enjoy!

Opal's Song

Coming 2013 - Release date to be announced

A horrific accident on a rain slicked mountainside and permanent paralysis from the waist down.

25 year old Lily Wade has to relearn simple, everyday activities just to live a seemingly normal life.

Opal—a precocious child in her rehabilitation group—teaches Lily about living joyfully after
surviving an immense tragedy and how to find peace within the pain.

To keep a promise made, Lily must dust off her once beloved cello and connect with the music she’s kept locked inside a velvet lined case for nearly a decade.




A Teaser

The headlights of Darren’s extended cab Chevy swung from left to right as he took the switch back curves much faster than normal. Lines of tension formed beside his mouth, and his usually relaxed hands clutched the black leather steering wheel in a white knuckle death grip. Something about the way he pumped the brakes wasn’t quite right, and the momentum of the truck was picking up instead of slowing down. 

Lily wanted to ask if everything was okay, but didn’t dare distract him from what was quickly becoming a dangerous situation. Deep ingrained reflex made her tug on the strap of her seat belt to ensure it would hold if the worst case scenario played itself out.

She’d ventured East with her boyfriend to explore and get away from the stifling rules of her parents. They had come into Western North Carolina via the Blue Ridge Mountains and immediately fallen in love with the place. Eclectic Asheville stole her heart with its combination of forward movement and backwards thinking. Only in that particular valley, surrounded by some of the oldest mountains in the world, could one community find the wherewithal to support so many varied lifestyle modalities. From the redneck–hillbilly descendants of the original Scottish settlers, to the new agers, dirty hippies, and flamboyant gays—Asheville catered to them all.

Lily wanted to share the exuberance of the area with her family, but suddenly feared the chance to do so would come at the cost of a glossy wooden box. Tears filled her eyes as she swallowed past a lump forming in her throat. She didn’t want to die.

“Aww, FUCK!”

Darren’s barely whispered expletive caught Lily’s attention as the tail end of the truck swung around. Suddenly they were facing the way they’d come. On any other day Darren would’ve calmly turned the wheel until the truck righted itself. For some reason the beast didn’t respond to his handling. The vehicle continued to spin until something in the front end snapped, and Lily stared in horror. One of the tires flew away from the truck, and in that instant she realized what people said was true—in the moments before death time slows down as the brain processes everything in minute detail. 

Bright headlamps illuminated the surrounding forest as the front end of the truck crashed down onto the road. Heavy metal screeching on asphalt filled Lily’s ears only to be replaced with the sound of trees snapping beneath the force of a full sized pick-up rolling down the side of a mountain.

Up became down, and Lily’s insides threatened to come out as she was jerked about behind the increasingly tighter band of her protective belt. If she’d been sitting next to Darren her head would’ve been spared the repetitive abuse of being tossed against the passenger window. Lily didn’t want to scream out her fear, but found she had no control over her vocal cords—her screeches of distress echoed in the confined space until the imploding windshield drowned her out. Shards from the window flew towards them, cutting her neck and face as they tumbled around inside the cab.

Everything stopped all at once. The crashing roll of the truck, the cutting of the glass shards, even Lily’s screams. The Chevy landed on its side with her hanging by her seat belt, staring down at the unconscious form of her boyfriend. The smell of gasoline filled the air and Lily felt the spike of adrenaline wash through her nervous system.

“Darren! Darren, wake up!” She yelled as loud as her constricted lungs would allow behind the crushing force of the nylon strap. “Darren, we have to get out of this truck!”

Darren remained unconscious, and Lily refused to give into the blind panic threatening to take over. Breathing deep she quickly surveyed her position and the quickest escape route. The windshield had completely shattered, making that the only way out of the wreckage as the door above her wouldn’t budge when she tried pushing it open. Grabbing hold of the oh-shit handle, she pulled the weight of her body off the belt and pushed the release button. Blinding heat zipped through her body as she crashed face first against Darren's side and was knocked out cold by the force of their skulls connecting.

****

Something wet trickled down the side of her face just before an excruciating pain exploded behind her eyes, and Lily knew she was about to have the mother of all migraines. She thought to press the heels of both hands against her throbbing eye sockets, but found her body remained motionless against the command. A soft moan beneath her was worrying, though she couldn’t think why. The muscle of her shoulder flexed involuntarily and a jolt of pain flashed down her spine, stopping abruptly in her hips. A deep breath meant to calm her frantic thoughts brought more pain and then the blessed blackness.

****

“Hang in there little lady. We’ve almost got you out.”

Lily whimpered as a sudden shock of agony rippled through her arms and torso, but the sound of someone talking eased her anxiety. She wasn’t alone—thank god. The voice became a life line she clung to with her mind until sweet oblivion pulled her back into its warm embrace.

****

“They rolled down the side of Mount Pisgah. From what I can gather she was pinned in place by her seat belt, until she managed to undo it and then fell against his side.”

The conversation felt a million miles away. Surely they weren’t talking about her. Before she could give it another thought, the air was filled with excited chatter and frantic movements. She wanted to open her eyes and see what was going on, but her lids were too heavy to lift. Moving the muscles of her body required a strength she didn’t possess and fear flooded her thoughts as she cried out in frustration. The air she pulled through her nose tasted strange on the back of her tongue. Oblivion stretched out its arms and Lily went into them without a fight.


Find out more about Opal's Song and it's release 
by visiting SJ Byrne or Opal's Song on Facebook


A portion of all proceeds from Opal's Song will be donated 
to help children with disabilities...more information forthcoming.




About the Author

Living in the mountains of Western North Carolina SJ Byrne is just trying to make her way through the insanity that comes with creativity. Writing is her passion - life is her muse. Keep an eye out for new books due later this year.

Connect with SJ via:
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Blogger

Read more about her books on:
Facebook
Amazon
Goodreads





Monday, March 18, 2013

Author Feature: Tammie Clarke Gibbs



Author, Tammie Clarke Gibbs and her new Time
 Travel Romantic Suspense - SWORN TO SECRECY and the new series UNDERCOVER HEROES







Tammie Clarke Gibbs is the author of the #1 Kindle Best Selling Gothic/Time Travel Romance Island of Secrets which has been consistently on three of the Amazon Best Seller Lists for over eighteen consecutive months. She is the author of three novels and multiple non-fiction titles. Tammie resides with her husband, son, and a very spoiled Maltese in South Georgia. She loves to hear from her fans and can be reached at her website and via email  
You have a new series that just came out can you tell us a little about it. Sure. I love talking about my books. Actually, the first book in the series was not originally written for the series. It was originally released in Winter of 2011 and has been re-released as Keeping Secrets earlier this year as the anchor book for the Undercover Heroes series. The men in this first book were just too good not to give their own books. What's more exciting than a bunch of men who are all heroic in one way or another? After the publication of Keeping Secrets, which is Historical Romantic Suspense, the characters were screaming at me. Sworn to Secrecy was one of the easiest books, I've ever writen or rather dictated. All the characters just fit, and the next book is almost already plotted out. Readers will have to wait for a little while for it because I have another book, the first in my Legends series that has been scheduled next. I'm very excited about the launch book in that series too. I did learn with the publication of Keeping Secrets that I really missed having those little paranormal elements, and I'm so happy to be writing them again. My readers do love the time travel and other little things I like to sprinkle through my plots.

Tell us about Sworn to Secrecy. You've been having a fantastic book launch can you share with us a little bit about the book and about your launch. It's been amazing. This is the first of my books that made it onto two best sellers lists on the day of launch. They've both made it before, but it's usually taken a few months to get there. Ranks are still very good. I am so excited because I'm already hearing from folks who grabbed some of those first day copies and have already finished the book. They all seem to love the story and are anxious for Book Three now.

The book launch itself has been beyong imagination. I've had so many folks offer to help and attendance at each of my events has been amazing. We had the Book Launch Party, then we also had a Pinning Party which was lots of fun where folks learned all about Pinterest and pinned my book as well as other books onto boards. There've been twitter campaigns and the support has just blown me away. I have provided a very short excerpt for your readers. A longer one is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble's online stores.


Thank you for letting me visit with you today on your blog.


 
A little something from Tammie:
Be sure to visit all of the bloggers and authors that are hosting me during the Book Launch Celebration for Sworn to Secrecy for your chance to win prizes and read more about me and my books. I have something special planned with each of them.


During the launch, you can grab a copy for just .99. After March 20th, the price goes to its list price of $3.99.
 
 

  An unlikely alliance...a love born from the ashes of adversity....Dak Bartholomew is a US Secret Service agent. When he wakes up locked in a dark room it's just another day until he realizes that he's not alone.

Elizabeth Porter would like nothing more than to plunge her knife through the stranger's heart for all the trouble he's caused.

Together they'll take an unexpected journey to a time and place they could never have imagined and discover a secret they'll be sworn to protect.

Don't miss Tammie's other novels-
ISLAND OF SECRETS: GOTHIC TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE
KEEPING SECRETS: HISTORICAL ROMANTIC SUSPENSE



Buy on Amazon



  

Click on the links below to visit participating
Launch Partners & Read more…
Author Barbara Ivie Green - Live on March 12, 2013
Author Bill Hiatt - Live on March 13, 2013
Author SJ Byrne - Live on March 13, 2013
Author Michelle Hughes - Live on March 14, 2013
 Author Brian Bigelow - Live on March 15, 2013
Author Sheila Deeth - Live on March 16, 2013
Author Regan Black - Live on March 16, 2013
Author Pamela Foreman - Live on March 17, 2013
Author Olivia Martinez -Live on March 18, 2013 
 Wordlovers by Melissa Bowersock - Live on March 19, 2013
Author Andrea Buginsky - Live on March 19, 2013
Confessions of a Reader -Live on March 19, 2013
Author Gemma Wilford - Live on April 7, 2013

Click Here to go to the Giveaway Post and enter for some great prizes


Excerpt of Sworn to Secrecy Copyright Tammie Clarke Gibbs

Dak Bartholomew felt a trickle of blood run a cold wet trail down the side of his face from the open gash at his temple.
He struggled to open his eyes, and after several moments succeeded. Focusing on his surroundings took several more, but eventually, he could see the small, dank-smelling room in more clarity than he even desired.
The only light came from a single window, its pane’s blackened all but for one small section.
He pulled himself off the filthy mattress and felt his way toward the light. The window had been painted from the inside, and it appeared that someone had literally scratched at it until a small stream of light was allowed in from the outside. Instinctively, he reached into his pocket for his knife, but it wasn’t there. Nothing was there.
There was a faint cry from the corner of the room. Startled, Dak stepped back into the darkness.
He felt his way along the bed until he came to what he thought was a wall.
The darkness was deep and black, and the light cut only a sliver through it, leaving the rest of the room engulfed in an ebony sea.
He was weak from having been drugged or loss of blood. He wasn’t sure which. Either would have given him an excuse to forget he wasn’t alone and cower, but the pitiful whimpers stoked within him a steely determination.
“You there,” he called and waited for an answer.
The room was quiet in response. No whimpering. No breathing.
“Are you hurt?” Dak asked this time, and his voice was softer. Still there was no answer.
He took several short steps, feeling his way along the wall in the direction he’d heard the sounds coming from.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said, this time louder. “I…”
Dak felt a dirty hand on his mouth and something sharp at his side.
 

Friday, March 15, 2013