Clarissa Johal: November 2015

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Guest Author - Dragon Lore: Books Two and Three by Ann Gimpel #paranormal #fantasy #romance



Elements of Great Storytelling
by Ann Gimpel

I’ve thought about this a lot lately since I ran into a spate of uninspired books, both on my Kindle and in Books on CD. I will say, though, that in the latter format, a gifted actor reading an audiobook can make even a mediocre story come to life and can gloss over awkward grammatical constructions so they aren’t quite as noticeable.

How about if we start with characters? It goes without saying they need to be three dimensional, which means they have thoughts, feelings, and actions that are congruent with their personalities. In my opinion, if a book doesn’t have characters that reach out and grab your heartstrings, then it’s DOA. It can have the most inspired plot in the world, but it’s wasted if readers don’t care about the characters.

Alrighty, so we have decent characters. Maybe not great characters, but they’re good enough you want to pick up the book to see what they’re going to do next. Plot determines the next moves in a book. Plot is basically the story that the book tells, but it’s how we get from point A to point B that weeds out talented writers from the rest of the pack. Brilliant plotting is tightly woven, and the writer’s hand is all but invisible. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been somewhere in a book and something happens that just screams “convenient plot twist.” As an aside, this is why all writers need someone—crit partners, publishers, editors—to be a fresh pair of eyes. No matter how seasoned a writer is, he (or she) can’t see the foibles in his own writing. Not all of them, anyway. Another plotting issue is plot threads that go nowhere. They look intriguing, but the writer just never gets back to them.

Corollaries of plotting are pacing and tension. The plot has to move fast enough to draw a reader along, yet not so fast as to lose them. Writers accomplish this by inserting pacing into the plot and building/releasing tension. Of course certain genres, like horror, have a whole lot more tension than most romances. But even romances—the good ones—have at least one big, dark moment when it seems like the hero and heroine will never be able to bridge the gap between them. This introduces tension and draws readers into turning pages to see what’s going to happen next.

I think I’m probably like most writers in that I write the same type of fiction I like to read. For me, it’s fast paced, with strong characters that collide with one another. Lots of passion. Lots of angst. Big, dark moments that are really big and truly dark. In a lot of ways, writing isn’t so different from being a psychologist. Not everyone will like what I write. I don’t expect them to. Likewise, I always told my patients that the first couple of sessions were “getting to know one another,” and seeing if we were a good match. Just like I’m not the right author for everyone, neither was I the right therapist. That’s just common sense, really.


What sings to you in books you read? Why do you adore your favorite author? If you had to pick great characters versus great plot, which would it be? 

 ***
Dragon Maid
Dragon Lore
Book Two

Ann Gimpel

Dream Shadow Press
64K words
Release Date: 10/5/15
Genre: Paranormal romance

Tumble off reality’s edge into myth, magic, and Scottish dragon shifters

Book Description:

When pressed, Jonathan Shea admits magic runs through his blood, but he’s always been ambivalent about it—until a dragon and her mage show up in the Scottish Highlands, and then all bets are off. Jonathan’s charmed and captivated by the dragon—a creature fresh out of myth and legend—but the woman bonded to it is so enticing, he tosses caution aside and catapults into the magical power he’s avoided for so long.

Britta and her dragon prepare for a battle to save Earth. Freshly transplanted from a much earlier time, she feels awkward, out of place. The first person she lays eyes on is Jonathan. There’s something about him. She can’t quite pinpoint it, but he has way more magic than he lets on. Magic aside, it runs deeper than that. For the first time ever, she questions the wisdom of remaining a maid. If she doesn’t make up her mind damned fast, though, her choices will fritter away. Beset from every side, she’s never needed her magical ability more.

Surrounded by dragon shifters, Celtic gods, Selkies, time travel, and a heaping portion of magic, Jonathan comes into his own fast. Fell creatures target him, Britta, and her dragon. In the midst of chaos, he and Britta find scorching passion and love so heartbreakingly tender, it will change their lives forever.




Dragon’s Dare
Dragon Lore
Book Three

Ann Gimpel

Dream Shadow Press
85K words
Release Date: 10/19/15
Genre: Paranormal romance

Tumble off reality’s edge into myth, magic, and Scottish dragon shifters

Book Description:

Bloated on chaos, the Morrigan leaves the Scottish Highlands to gather power. A trip through Hell yields quite the assortment of allies tagging along behind her. Fell creatures straight out of myth and nightmare that haven’t darkened Earth’s boundaries for centuries heed her call.

Heartily sick of the Morrigan’s maneuvering, the dragons are close to shutting their world off from everywhere, Earth included. If they do, every dragon shifter bond will be broken. Horrified, Lachlan and Britta launch a desperate campaign to hang onto their dragons.

Magic may bite back, but if the dragons take their magic ball and go home, Earth will fade, along with all other worlds. That suits the Morrigan fine. War and anarchy are her favorite companions, and she collects misery like children gather beloved toys.

Arianrhod’s fellow Celts found out about her fall from grace and her half-Druid son, Jonathan. With nothing further to hide, she goes back in time hunting Angus, Jonathan’s father. Forty years apart was a steep price to pay. The world needs Angus’s magic. And Jonathan needs all the help he can get. Late to accept the power thrumming through him, he holds a key role in keeping the world from spinning off its axis. Reluctant at first, Jonathan finally gets it.

Absolute focus.

Absolute commitment.

Anything less and everyone he loves will pay an unthinkable price.



About the Author:

Ann Gimpel is a national bestselling author. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Her longer books run the gamut from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. Once upon a time, she nurtured clients, now she nurtures dark, gritty fantasy stories that push hard against reality. When she’s not writing, she’s in the backcountry getting down and dirty with her camera. She’s published over 30 books to date, with several more planned for 2015 and beyond. A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.


Find Ann At:
Author Website
Author Blog
Amazon Author Page
Facebook Page
@AnnGimpel (for Twitter)





Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The Island by Clarissa Johal - #1 Best Seller #paranormal #horror - #FREE Nov 9-14th Only!

THE ISLAND
by Clarissa Johal

Exploring a remote island can get you into trouble.
Especially when you stumble upon a cave and awaken two demons.

Rumors and superstition.
That’s what Emma thinks about local gossip concerning her grandmother’s “cursed” private island. Emma journeys to the island to ready it for sale. While out exploring, she unearths a hidden cave–a cave which holds answers to the island’s dark past.
There may be more to the rumors than she thought.


#1 Best Seller in Horror on Amazon.UK and Amazon.ca

FREE Nov 9-14th Only!

Amazon US
Amazon Canada
Amazon UK

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Guest Author Spotlight - The Knight Trilogy by Katie M. John #YA #paranormal #romance

The Knight Trilogy
Celebrating 5 YEARS


THE KNIGHT TRILOGY


A UK No.1 Best Selling Paranormal Romance and Dark Fairy Tale series
The first book of ‘The Knight Trilogy’, called ‘The Forest of Adventures’ was published in December 2010. Within months it had reached the coveted spot of UK. No1. Best Selling Fairy Tale and Paranormal Romance, as well as going on to become an overall Best Selling Amazon title in both the U.K and the U.S.A
In 2012 it was awarded ‘Bloggers Choice Award’ from The Kindle Book Review

Five years later, all three books of the Trilogy have been published, and the series continues to reach top listings and cultivate a committed fan base. Katie has since gone on to write a stand-alone novel, ‘Beautiful Freaks’, a twelve episode series by the same title, and the first three books of the seven book series, ‘The Meadowsweet Chronicles’

To celebrate this incredibly important milestone, Katie M John is giving away some very special Knight Trilogy Swag. Prizes include; sterling silver Celtic earrings and Breton Jewellery purchased in the Forest of Broceliande,  to signed paperbacks and beautiful handmade Tibetan Silver book hooks, decorated with semi-precious stones, signed postcards. There will be two lucky winners of the Birthday Gift Box.


The Forest of Adventures (Book One Of The Knight Trilogy)

An Ancient Legend
A Modern Love Story


Seventeen year old Mina Singer is the typical good girl; she already knows where her life is taking her, and she is in a settled relationship with the boy next door. However, when the mysterious new boy, Blake Beldevier arrives at college on the first day of the spring term, everything she has come to understand about reality is turned upside down.
Catapulted into a world she only believed existed in fairy tales, Mina discovers that the past and the present aren’t quite so far apart as she thought, and fairy tales certainly aren’t for children.
As the timeless and wicked Morgan Le Fay sets her sights on gaining the heart of Blake, Mina discovers the true of the darkness which threatens to extinguish the light.

                                                   
Immortal Beloved: Book 2 of The Knight Trilogy (Volume 2) As Mina begins to piece together her broken heart Blake’s heart is in the hands of the evil and beautiful Morgan Le Fay - and it is in mortal peril In the aftermath of the Blakequake, Mina finds herself back in the Real World and lost at sea. It is only the power of friendship that stops her from complete self-destruction. And then, just when she begins to accept that the fairy tale world of The Realm was nothing but a magical memory, The Realm comes calling. This time it is up to the damsel to save her knight. As events unfold in Egypt, and ancient, dark rituals are resurrected, Mina and her friends are forced to race the clock to save Blake from the terrors of the Egyptian Underworld - and the bewitchment of Morgan Le Fay. The question is, who will win in the fight for Blake’s heart?


Starfire: Book Three of The Knight Trilogy (Volume 3)

When Mina and Blake return from Egypt, they dare to believe in a happily-ever-after. Then the full moon comes, and Mina discovers it wasn’t only Blake who came home changed. When a young woman is found murdered at Meadowlake on All Hallows Eve, suspicion quickly turns to Mina, whose involvement with the secret society of the Starfire Sisterhood has caught the unwelcome attention of The Knights Templar Arrested for sorcery and due to burn at the stake, Blake is offered a way to save her... All he needs to do is deliver the Holy Grail.



Published by Little Bird Publishing, Katie M John is the author of the U.K No.1 best-selling YA Paranormal Romance and Dark Fairy Tale series, The Knight Trilogy.
You can find out more about Katie and her books 

THE GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 9, 2015

Guest Spotlight - Nails by Fiona Dodwell #Paranormal #Novella #giveaway

Nails
by Fiona Dodwell

Genre: Paranormal
Date of Publication: 13th October 2015
Number of pages: 60 pages
Word Count: 25,000 (Novella)
Cover Artist: Atrtink

Book Description:

Carla Bracken knew she needed a change, a new start. Moving to Moorelands Close was supposed to be the beginning of something bigger and better, so when things start to take a sinister turn in her new home, she tries to explain it away.

However, she cannot ignore the mounting horror she experiences behind closed doors. What is the dark history behind her new home, and can she stop the unfolding terror in its tracks before it's too late?

Excerpt:


       Tap, tap, tap.
       Carla took slow steps towards the bedroom doorway and went into the chilly hall. She hesitated there, wanting to move forward but being scared to, a battle of her own will. . She could still hear it, from somewhere deep in the house, that rhythmic, undulating tap that seemed to grow louder with her every step.
       “Who-who is this? Is it you, Alicia? Is this because of the terrible thing that happened to you?” Carla’s voice was swallowed by the house: no reply, no noise, nothing to indicate she'd spoken or been heard.
       Carla descended the stairs at a creep, then as she reached the bottom she heard a noise from within the darkened kitchen. What sounded like sobbing. Her heart hammered unnaturally in her chest and she took hesitant steps towards the room.
       Tap, tap, tap.
       The growing storm outside seemed to subside until all there was left was the noise of the tapping, the movement deep within the shadows of the kitchen.
       Shaking so much that she worried her knees would give way. Carla reached the doorway of the kitchen and reached out her unsteady hand until she found the light switch.
       She flipped it on and screamed.




About the Author:

Fiona is represented by Media Bitch Literary Agency, and is the author of three full length horror novels. She writes freelance for several paranormal magazines, including Supernatural Magazine and Paranormal Underground. She is a big fan of all things horror, and has studied Exorcism and Demonology. In her spare time, she attends paranormal investigations and works for a care charity. Her latest release, Nails, is now available on Amazon.

Twitter: Angel_Devil982

Tour Giveaway

2 ecopies of Nails







Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Update: POPPY by Clarissa Johal #paranormal #amwriting

I'm still here! I haven't posted in awhile, and have gratefully handed blog space over to my fellow authors. I hope you've had fun perusing their books.

Update on my novel-in-progress:

POPPY is coming along nicely, and I expect to be finished by the end of December. I'll keep you updated on the release date, but with any luck, sometime in 2016! Here's a blurb to entice you.


Photo courtesy of Doug Wertman via Flickr
A red-headed, pink-loving mortician who speaks to the dead.
A moody, unsociable funeral director.
Poppy and Dante from STRUCK are back.

Something is lingering around Skyview Funeral Home—and it's stealing souls of the departed. With Dante in tow, Poppy is determined to put a stop to it. Will she be able to protect those who are trying to cross over, or will her soul be next?



If you haven't read STRUCK yet, take a peek...

Struck by lightning...claimed by shadows.

Caught a storm, Gwynneth is struck by lightning. She wakes in the hospital with a vague memory of a mysterious stranger. Following her release, the stranger visits her at will and offers Gwynneth a giftone that will stay the hands of death. Gwynneth is uncertain whether Julian is a savior or something sinister... for as he shares more and more of this gift, his price becomes more and more deadly.

Available - ebook and print

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes and Noble


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Tangled Tuesday - Author Spotlight: Miracle Austin #youngadult #newadult #horror

Miracle Austin
~Bio~
           Miracle is a YA/NA Cross-Genre author; adults also enjoy her works. She’s been writing ever since first hearing Drive by The Cars in junior high.
          Horror/suspense are her favorite genres, but not limited to. She enjoys writing diverse flashes and short stories, while threading social themes in between.
          She’s currently working on her first novella, Doll, a story about three outcast teens versus the popular mean girl in an untraditional way. She’s completed her first extremely, eclectic—requires mind to be open to the impossible—short story collection, Boundless.
          You could say that Boundless is a gumbo of themes, some light-hearted, while others are much darker… She plans to release both by the end of the year.
          Lonestar UnOrdinary Girl, her next work, is a supernatural tale with comedic elements. She enjoys attending Comic cons and book festivals. Miracle resides in Texas with her family.

“Lingering fiction that ignites diverse mind journeys and beyond…”
Author Email: shadesoffiction@miracleaustin.com
FaceBook: Miracle Austin Author
Twitter: @MiracleAustin7
Instagram: MiracleAustin7



*ANTHOLOGIES*

The Study Break
 (Short Story)
Ivory and Catalina, two college girls, head into the big city to a hot club. Before dawn, their destinies change forever!

The Meat Lover’s Special 
(Short Story)
Dash, a young domestic violence victim, finds her way out like she never imagined!
LAST PASS 
(Short Story)

A vengeful ghost, Coop, haunts a popular highway with his ghost truck and it’s very, very personal!

Monday, November 2, 2015

Guest Authors - Cast in Fire Revelations Series: Book Two by Jaime Johnesee, Lisa Lane & Christine Sutton #paranormal #horror


Drex and the Big Blackout
Jaime Johnesee

The big yellow gremlin came bounding up to me, “Drex be a good boy, Polly. I help.”
Oh, boy.
Gremlins, while sweet and easy going, are rather mischievous by nature. A tad like imps or lokis but thankfully not as annoying as will o’ the wisps and their constantly flashing lights.
“How did you help, buddy?” I found talking to the gremlins as if they were young children helped.
“I fix your shower. Hot water and cold water now.” He beamed at me proudly all fangs and green tongue flitting in and out.
I winced internally and mentally called maintenance to have someone go and fix it.
“Thanks, Drex, that was awful sweet of you.”
“I like Polly.”
“I like you too, bud.”
“We friends?”
“Yup. Why don’t you get back down to the habitat and I’ll bring a few clocks by later?”
“A toaster too.” He held his yellow chin firm and his forked tongue snaked through his pointy teeth to lick his elongated nose.
“A toaster too. You sure drive a hard bargain there, pal.”
“Drex smart, Polly.”
“You sure are, buddy.” I patted his head and he ran off, his tail occasionally catching on the planters that lined the corridors.
The gremlins were personal favorites of mine. They were chimpanzee-like in both their understanding of the world and their uncanny ability for great devilry.
They were also similar in that they had immense physical power and could tear a sheet of plywood apart as easily as a Kleenex. For those reasons, and a few others, I did my best to make sure that the gremlins were happy.
I designed a habitat built solely for them. It will be full of their favorite electronic and mechanical devices. Better yet, they will each have their own room, work room, and bathroom. We were even making a new chore chart. See, anything they want can be gained either by asking politely or accomplishing a simple task, like cleaning their room.
It was a good system and it worked, until they broke out. It seemed they inevitably cracked the new security and disappeared into the mortal realm to cause chaos. This sort of thing has happened several times in the past and I wasn’t fool enough to think it wouldn’t ever happen again. Gremlins were so much smarter than anyone gives them credit for.
I walked down to Lucifer’s office to see if I had anything pressing I needed to do today. As I approached the tall, and beautifully carved, wooden doors I could hear voices from inside the office.
I decided to come back later and turned to leave when I heard Lucifer say, “Apollyon, come in here, please.”
“Yes?” I decided to keep it short.
“I need the djinn habitat swept. I have it on a good source that they are bringing in contraband.”
A source so good that she didn’t want me to see them so she teleported them out of here. I didn’t like it.
I couldn’t tell Lucifer that so instead I smiled and said, “Right away. Anything else?”
“Yeah, make sure you scour every inch of the place. There was mention of angelite.”
“Oh, Christ.” Angelite was serious shit.
We could be looking for something like an atomic bomb for demons.
“My words exactly. Polly, don’t fail me in this.”
“I promise I will do all I can to clean this mess up.” This was not good.
Not good at all.
Lucifer dismissed me with a gesture and I left the office and headed back to my room in the staff wing.
I had no idea how much worse everything was going to get. More gremlins escaped that night. They took off to Ohio and blacked out most of the Eastern seaboard and part of the Midwest. It took me four long weeks to track them all down and bring every single one of them back.
Drex usually called them for me so I went back to see him.
“Wow, you bring clocks quick.” Drex sniffed me and said, “Hey, you have no clocks.”
“No, Drex, I’m afraid I don’t. Some of your friends broke out and I was hoping you would call the rest of them home. Please, Gremlin King?”
I never used Drex’s full title, it embarrassed him slightly. That said, he was also very proud of his title. I hoped by showing some respect for him as the leader of his kind he would do as I asked and put the mental call out for them to come back.
“Drex can’t, Polly. Gremlins need fun and we get no here.”
“Are you really trying to tell me you don’t have fun?”
“No, here no fun. Here prison.” A frown lined his face and he looked up at me sadly.
“That hurts, Drex. You know we are working to build you a new home with all kinds of toys for you guys.”
“Maybe, but Drex no help. Drex let kids have fun.”
“Bummer. I guess I will have to go track them all down myself. It’ll probably be gone awhile.”
“Be safe.” Drex turned and bounded away to his room.
His long yellow tail knocked over a planter along the way and he turned back and hollered out, “Drex sorry!”
Like I said, it took me four weeks to track every single gremlin down. That was when I realized that they would need more than the usual toys. I had the damned souls building the new habitat install computers and all sorts of small appliances for the little fellows to play with. Here’s hoping it will keep them so busy they don’t break out again.
As for the angelite, I swept the djinn dorms and came up with absolutely nothing. I think Lucifer’s source was probably just yanking her chain. If it was an angel, as I suspect, those feathered bastards often screwed with us by giving us crummy intel.
Everything is coming up roses for me. Speaking of, I have to run, see you later.

***

Cast in Fire
Revelations
Series: Book Two
Jaime Johnesee
Lisa Lane
Christine Sutton

Genre: Paranormal horror
Publisher: Devil Dog Press
Date of Publication: November 1, 2015
ASIN: B013F9P0HK
Number of pages: 400
Word Count: Around 75,000 words

Book Description:

Chaos has taken over, wreaking havoc not only across the globe but also throughout Heaven and Hell. The next apocalyptic seals have been breached, and the leaders of the ethereal realms are paying the price. With tensions high and defenses at an all-time low, Polly, Lenny, and Drew continue to hunt down the evil behind it all. Millennia-old secrets rise to the surface, testing friendships and pushing loyalties to their breaking points.

With the clock ticking and uncertainty in the air, will enough time remain to unravel a curse that the darkest of forces have Cast in Fire?



About Jaime Johnesee

Jaime Johnesee lives in Michigan with her husband and two sons. She spent fourteen years as a zookeeper before shifting her focus to writing full time. Widely known for her bestselling horror comedy series, Bob the Zombie, she is currently coauthoring the paranormal horror series, Revelations, for Devil Dog Press as well as working on her Shifters series.
You can find out more about Jaime Johnesee at her website


About Lisa Lane

Lisa Lane has been writing dark speculative fiction for over twenty years. She has ten published novels and dozens of published short stories written under genre-specific pseudonyms. She is married to editor Thomas B. Lane, Jr. and currently resides in the outskirts of Sin City.


About Christine Sutton
Christine Sutton is the author of more than fifteen short stories, novellas and novels. While she tends to cross genres within horror, she is always passionate about scaring the hell out of you.

Her passion would have to be serial killer fiction, but she also loves ghosts, ghouls, demons and monsters of all types. Christine's work ranges from modern day fairy tales to demonic soul eaters to ghostly children that just want to play. Her writing has been called passionate, realistic, gritty, fun, enthralling and tons of other cool adjectives.

You too can pick up some of Christine's work and come up with some cool adjectives of your own. It won't be hard. I promise.

Twitter: @csuttonauthor






Sunday, November 1, 2015

#Free November 1-5th - Whispered Echoes by Anne Michaud #YA #urbanfantasy

Whispers of death keep her sister alive.
Echoes of ghosts warn her danger is near.

Alyx lost everything in the fire, her family, her home, her freedom, but she discovered something, too: something lurking in the darkness. To protect her from harm, the ghost of her dead sister haunts the walls of the mental institution holding Alyx captive for the last 9 years. But even she can’t help when patients suddenly act possessed and turn against Alyx, who must find the strength and knowledge to rid them of evil and save their lives.

After a narrow escape from the institution, Transcend welcomes Alyx in with opened arms since she’s the daughter of a former star agent; her mother. They hope to teach her ghost seer abilities to help them keep the leaders of the world in check and give her a normal life. With her friends and newly acquired knowledge, Alyx prepares to battle against evil, but when facing her greatest enemy yet, everything she knows might not be enough to save the people she loves. No matter what her choices, the consequences will be paid in blood – maybe her own.

Excerpt

A slither, a hiss like hot blood hitting the snow. I stare at their broken forms on the ground, and something dark leaks into the ground, looking very much like Shadowmen. It only lasts a few seconds, but I wait for more to come.
“The bad left, leaving their bones to dust.” Kat speaks close to me, like whenever we’re out in the open. Maybe she’s afraid the wind will take her away or the rain will wash her soul until nothing remains. “We should go. They’re gone too.”
“Just like that, one moment alive, then the next...” Swallowing hard, I turn away from them. These guys had families, people waiting for them to come back home tonight. Something I don’t have. “Rest in peace, for the little you had here.”
Together, we race to the back of the parking lot, where the garage stretches as far as the shallow woods circling the hospital. My sister’s light guides me to the hole in the fence—the same I’ve been using for two months straight trying to escape—and just as I reach it, the garage door clicks open by itself. I hide in the shadow of the wall, but no one comes out, no headlights either. My sister scares the shit out of me at times.
“Please tell me that electric trick of yours will get old soon?” I ask. Katrina stands by the garage door to lure me in, and when I won’t move from my spot, a car honk comes from inside. “Curiosity killed the damned, Kat. Stop playing games. Let’s go.”
Only the soft hits of ice falling on the tin roof next to me answer back, and so I go to the opened door to have a look-see. Last time we played hide and seek, I’d just come in the hospital. I’d just turned nine; she was forever sixteen.
“Surprise!” Kat glows next to a huge SUV, smiling so bright it’s hard to look at her. The driver’s door is opened, the vents throwing up so much hot wind inside that fog comes out in clouds outside. My sister invites me to step in, but it’s probably more trouble than it’s worth. Stolen property is much worse than just running away, no? Oh, and driving into people and cars and killing everything—much worse. “It’s Docteur Lise’s,” I tell her, as if she doesn’t know. I clutch my coat. The ceiling light almost warms me up just from looking at it. A car is faster than legs, but... “I can’t drive and I don’t have a license.”
“It’s too cold. You won’t make it alive to Close Falls.” Katrina never lies. She never plays pretend to get her way. She’s not like me. “And hurry, because the others have seen and they’re not happy about the massacre.”

Voices echo all the way from the second floor of the building, the door hanging open above nothing, the stairs twisting on the ground. From this distance, white lab coats flap in the wind, which means the nurses are back to themselves. Whatever that means, because frankly, they haven’t been themselves for a while.
“You’d be better at this driving thing,” I say to Kat, who brought me all the way in here when I could be running outside. Well, stuck in high winds and freezing pellets falling from the sky, but still out of here. “Oh wait, is that why you got me in here? You want to test it out?”
“Only if you let me in,” Kat says, getting ready to plunge into my body. “You don’t have to—it might not work, but we have to try.”
“OK,” I say, not fighting as her ghostly shape becomes mine.

It’s like sitting in the backseat, really. She moves my body and she guides my movements, with no struggle on my part. I trust her; she’s my sister—even if it does feel like I might vomit. The intrusion feels so weird.
“No wonder my friends are all possessed,” I whisper. “This is easy peasy.”
I sit down behind the huge steering wheel, and the letters BMW stare back at us. Then I watch my hands on the steering wheel, the motor roaring from within. OK, I’ll admit that my sister controlling electricity that easily is kinda cool.
“It’s wicked cool,” Kat says, her voice coming from inside instead of my side.
As the SUV rolls out in the rain, the pellets come down harder than before on the hood, and on the roof they sound like gunshots. A flash of white comes from the second floor and then nothing: they spotted our runaway car, so they know we’ll be harder to catch.
“What are you doing?” I ask my sister, as she turns the wheel to stay in the parking lot instead of racing out of here. Oh no, I think she’s losing control of our vehicle: she’s driving directly toward Nurse Ruth’s tiny red car. “Careful, you’ll wreck everything!”
“Quiet, sis.” I feel a smile cracking my cold skin as our huge SUV rams into the car and pushes it to the deep ditch at the end of the lot. A final slip and it’s gone from view. And a bit of Kat logic, “If they don’t have anything to follow us with, they just won’t.”
“Um, maybe the cops will?” I don’t need to fight my body to point at the boulevard below the long driveway of the hospital park. Red and blue lights glitter in the dark, far away, but still too close for my liking. “Step on it, Kat.”

FREE from November 1-5th!

Amazon

Author Bio

Anne Michaud is an author of many talents, especially getting distracted by depressing music and dark things. She likes to write and read everyday, and speak of herself in the third person.

Since her Master’s degree in Screenwriting from the University of London, England, Anne has written, directed and produced three short films, distributed internationally after being shown on a selective festival circuit.

And then, after hundreds of hours spent on studying and making films, she changed her mind and started writing short stories, novelettes and novels. Some have been published, others will be soon enough.

Keep your eyes open, she’s behind you.

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