I’m delighted today to be a part of author Lynn Donovan’s Juniper Grove Book Solutions Virtual Book Tour for her latest Christian Gothic/Paranormal
release, THE WISHING WELL CURSE.As part of the tour, Lynn has provided an excerpt from her book to entice your reading taste buds. In addition, there is a tour-wide giveaway being offered with some amazing prizes (more about at in a bit).
Here’s a brief synopsis of THE WISHING WELL CURSE:
Zeke Clay is down on his luck. He’s lost everything—an apartment, an education, a girlfriend, his job…
When a mysterious letter comes from a law firm in Colorado, he decides things just might be looking up. Now he stands to inherit a fortune, but it comes with a price. He must break a family curse and restore true love. What does he know about breaking a curse? And who is this Great Uncle Luther Clayton, who claims Zeke is the one? Can he piece together the clues left by his dearly departed?
Who can he trust? The Apache Indian attorney? Her great nephew? The leather-clad, Harley riding Pastor? Least of all, himself?
What about the Ghosts?
…And why does his three-year-old tattoo bleed every time he gets near the wishing well?
THE WISHING WELL CURSE is available at these locations:
Amazon | Amazon Paperback | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads
EXCERPT:
Zeke merged onto Hwy 71 East. He needed to find a truck stop and settle in for the night. He stared at the sedan in front of him. Suddenly, the car fish-tailed, it spun a full three-sixty and crossed two lanes. He slowed his car and eased over to the shoulder. As the sedan careened into the soft shoulder it began to flip end over end and skid on its side through the grass and weeds. It slid into a water-filled ditch and rolled over onto its top as it disappeared into the black, murky water.
“Oh my God!
Oh my God!” Zeke shouted as he jumped from his car.
Circular waves radiated from where the car had landed. He blinked against the acrid stench at the water’s edge and waited. Where was the driver? No bubbles. Nobody broke the surface. Nothing.
“OH MY GOD!” He had to go in that God-awful water. He had to help. He wasn’t licensed. He wasn’t legally obligated and yet—he was. He gingerly stepped into the water. His Doc Martens were fine for greasy floors. Not so great in slimy mud. He slipped and fell backward. Black mud oozed between his fingers as he fought for purchase. When he tried to stand up, he slid down to his thighs. Putrid water soaked into his clothes and splashed up toward his face. Nothing in clinicals had ever smelled this bad. Maneuvering himself best he could toward the center of the ditch, he reached for the car. When his hand touched metal, he took a deep breath and sunk underwater.
Submerged in the green-black water, he could not see. It was disorienting. He found a door handle and pulled it open. Reaching inside, he felt the steering wheel. He concentrated on finding the driver. When his hand reached a potential body, he dug into whatever material he could and pulled with all his might. Something held it tightly in place. The seat belt.
Zeke’s lungs felt ready to burst. He pushed back away from the car and rose to the surface. After he sucked in a deep breath, he returned to the open door. With his fingers, he found the seatbelt latch, and pushed and squeezed until it finally released. Once again, he dug fingers into a shirt and pulled with all his might. This time the guy came with him. The bottom of his shoes slipped against the slimy ditch wall. He fell back against the sedan.
Oh, Jesus. Please help me. He shoved himself away from the car. Somehow his shoes took hold and he pulled the limp body along with him. One step at a time, he dragged himself and the guy until they were both on the grass.
The man lay motionless. Zeke scanned the darkening highway. No cars. No headlights. He pressed two fingers on the guy’s carotid artery. No pulse. He put his ear on the guy’s chest. No heartbeat. And he definitely wasn’t breathing.
“I’ve only done this on Sim-Sam—but I know what I’m doing.” He intertwined his fingers, one hand over the other, and started pumping the chest while counting. “One-one thousand, Two-one thousand, Three-one thousand, Four-one thousand…”
Dusk faded to night. Where was everybody? Why wasn’t somebody coming? “God, please, help me.”
Why he was even saying that at all? Desperate times, desperate measures. Nonetheless, he kept counting and hoping.
Shimmering lights appeared on the horizon. He squinted and prayed they’d stop.
Oh my God!” Zeke shouted as he jumped from his car.
Circular waves radiated from where the car had landed. He blinked against the acrid stench at the water’s edge and waited. Where was the driver? No bubbles. Nobody broke the surface. Nothing.
“OH MY GOD!” He had to go in that God-awful water. He had to help. He wasn’t licensed. He wasn’t legally obligated and yet—he was. He gingerly stepped into the water. His Doc Martens were fine for greasy floors. Not so great in slimy mud. He slipped and fell backward. Black mud oozed between his fingers as he fought for purchase. When he tried to stand up, he slid down to his thighs. Putrid water soaked into his clothes and splashed up toward his face. Nothing in clinicals had ever smelled this bad. Maneuvering himself best he could toward the center of the ditch, he reached for the car. When his hand touched metal, he took a deep breath and sunk underwater.
Submerged in the green-black water, he could not see. It was disorienting. He found a door handle and pulled it open. Reaching inside, he felt the steering wheel. He concentrated on finding the driver. When his hand reached a potential body, he dug into whatever material he could and pulled with all his might. Something held it tightly in place. The seat belt.
Zeke’s lungs felt ready to burst. He pushed back away from the car and rose to the surface. After he sucked in a deep breath, he returned to the open door. With his fingers, he found the seatbelt latch, and pushed and squeezed until it finally released. Once again, he dug fingers into a shirt and pulled with all his might. This time the guy came with him. The bottom of his shoes slipped against the slimy ditch wall. He fell back against the sedan.
Oh, Jesus. Please help me. He shoved himself away from the car. Somehow his shoes took hold and he pulled the limp body along with him. One step at a time, he dragged himself and the guy until they were both on the grass.
The man lay motionless. Zeke scanned the darkening highway. No cars. No headlights. He pressed two fingers on the guy’s carotid artery. No pulse. He put his ear on the guy’s chest. No heartbeat. And he definitely wasn’t breathing.
“I’ve only done this on Sim-Sam—but I know what I’m doing.” He intertwined his fingers, one hand over the other, and started pumping the chest while counting. “One-one thousand, Two-one thousand, Three-one thousand, Four-one thousand…”
Dusk faded to night. Where was everybody? Why wasn’t somebody coming? “God, please, help me.”
Why he was even saying that at all? Desperate times, desperate measures. Nonetheless, he kept counting and hoping.
Shimmering lights appeared on the horizon. He squinted and prayed they’d stop.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Besides blogging, Lynn enjoys reading and writing mainstream fiction and speculative fiction, but you might find a historical romance among her collections as well. She currently lives in Southwest Kansas but looks forward to building a home in Colorado. She attends a Creative Writing class at the local college to sharpen her talents and increase her creative juices.
For more Lynn and her writing visit these sites:
Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Blog
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
There is a tour-wide giveaway. Prizes include the following: GRAND PRIZE: Signed print copy of The Wishing Well Curse, a Bracelet and Bookmark inspired by the book. (US Only)
SECOND PLACE: $20 Winner's Choice of Gift Card to Amazon or B&N (or even PayPal Cash) (International).
To enter the giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
To learn more about this intriguing book, you can also visit the other blogs on the tour:
May 27th – @ Bookworms Avenue (Guest Post)
May 28th – @ Kristy Centeno (Book Review)
May 29th – @ From the Bootheel Cotton Patch (Spotlight)
May 29th – @ Juniper Grove (Interview)
May 30th – @ Total Book Geek (Interview)
May 31st – @ Laurie’s Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews (Tens List)
June 3rd – @ Sabrina’s Paranormal Palace (Book Review/Guest Post)
June 3rd – @ Bianca2b (Guest Post)
June 4th – @ The Girl With Red Cape (Book Review)
June 4th – @ A Word Please (Interview)
June 5th – @ Just Me, Myself, and I (Spotlight)
June 6th – @ Mel’s Shelves (Book Review)
June 7th – @ Parenting 2.0 The Child’s Perspective (Spotlight)
Thanks so much for visiting today and I hope you’ll follow Lynn on her tour. Do you enjoy books where the genres are blended such as this Christian Gothic/Paranormal? Hope everyone is having a safe and wonderful MEMORIAL DAY!!!
Lynn this looks like a really good book and I think it's wonderful that you are taking care of your mother!
ReplyDeleteMason - Thanks for introducing us to Lynn and her work.
ReplyDeleteLynn - It's not easy to be a member of the 'sandwich generation' and still focus on your own writing. I give you lots of credit and I wish you success.
Thanks for posting! LOVED the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteThe cover of your book is f-ing incredible!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity! Love the cover and very intrigued! Must read! :)
ReplyDeleteThis book looks really gripping! Thanks for the giveaway!!
ReplyDeletethanks for this fascinating feature which is unique. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDelete