Excerpt: Another Way To Die

Chapter One

     If I had seen Daniel Logan coming I would have run on instinct alone. Six months into training for a marathon and I was strong enough for the race. Fast enough to compete. And steady enough, had I had a gun I would have never gotten into this situation.

     My heart was pounding as I crested the hill, pushing myself hardest at the end of the run. And no matter how many times I did it, it was always hard. My mouth was parched, I was out of Gatorade and even though it was still freezing outside I was sweating as if it were ninety degrees.

     I was fast, but I was no match for Daniel. He ran like a fucking machine and even though I prided myself on listening for footsteps coming up behind me he came barreling out of the woods and at me it startled me, so I charged at him sending us sliding down a patch of ice.

     I slipped free and fumbled for my keys propelling myself into a blistering pace. The adrenaline kicked in and memories from a night long ago flooded me. Slipping out a window into the dead of night. Running through the streets. Through the woods. Running until I could run no more. I had run fast that night. I ran even faster now.

     My fingers were numb, I couldn’t even feel my car key as I approached my car. I’d often curse the piece of shit when the heat wouldn’t want to work. I didn’t care about the heat now. I just wanted the thing to start.

     My hands were shaking so hard I dropped my keys to the ground. “Fuck.” My voice was trembling and it felt like the ten years I had lived a free woman were coming to an end. And that my father had finally managed to find me. I scooped up the keys and as I slid it into the lock and felt the cold barrel of a gun press into my back.

     When he spoke his voice, cool, clipped, and accented, he wasn’t from Kentucky, he wasn’t even from the States, he was from England. “Just get into the car and everything will be fine.”

     Well, if Jack had found me, fine, but I wasn’t about to go anywhere without a fight. I hurled my head backwards and smashed my crown and caught him in the chin. Stomped on the instep of his foot, and elbowed him hard in the stomach, taking the wind out of him. I managed to wiggle part of the way free before his hand closed around my wrist like a vise. He whipped me around and fixed me with a cold, glittering, set of ice blue eyes.

     “You are coming with me. If I leave you here--,” shots punctured the quiet morning air and we both looked to another man, this one with jet black hair, had his gun drawn and was closing ground, fast. “You get the point. Now get in the God damn car.” He shoved me and a split second later my collarbone was burning like it was on fire.

When Disaster Strikes...or When Your Computer Dies

Last night I was feeling blessed. I had spoken with a person who could make things happen on my book trailer. I got to bond with Karen Cote over on MuseItUp, (you should check out her 'Rock' Books Rock Bound and Rock Crazy), and I had finally made a breakthrough on my second book in the Lost Legacies Series.  And the icing on the cake, last week I landed my first publication contract with MuseItUp Publishing (http://museituppublishing.com/, writers and readers should really check them out. They are AWESOME and not just because they offered me a contract either ;) Then, poof my computer dies. The one time I don't back up my story and poof. The amazing thing is I'm not sweating it. Numb was only nine pages long.

I have all the images for the book trailer I want saved. I can get my avatars from Elise (a great friend, writer, and graphics designer) and I have the video Missy made her father last year for his birthday and my Another Way To Die backed up to my zip drive. So things could be a heck of a lot worse.

When I think of hard I think of when my screenwriting partner and I lived in San Antonio, didn't anything to write with, could barely make rent,  I was experiencing the first of two emotional breakdowns due to a Bipolar diagnosis and were living off of fifteen dollars worth of groceries a week.

I'm operating from my Dad's laptop temporarily and I'm trying to figure out how Mom and I can work together to either get an old desktop out of safe mode or purchase a refurbished one from Goodwins in Louisville.

All is not lost. I'm alive. I have air in my lungs. I have a roof over my head. I have food on the table and Another Way To Die is safely backed up. One day at a time I'll be fine. As for those nine pages of Numb? The story is still there and if I did it once I can do it again. Anyone else here have a story of woe to share or advice to give leave the advice here. I'd love hear it.

Say Hello To Your Newest Muse It Up Author!

The publishing world is filled with stories of cautionary tales. Of how some publishers represent themselves as one thing but are really another and how some look down on self-publishing (a perfectly legitimate avenue as long as your book is ready). Achieving publication is hard no matter what the format. Even though e-publication is the wave of the future the acceptance rate is 3-5% at best and 3-5% out of 100% is still a tough nut to crack. So when I opened my email box a few days ago to find one of these rare things you better believe I was over the moon happy about it.

I am a new Muse It Up Author. I will be sure to keep to up to date on my journey. Right now I have a ton of work to do. I will say Muse It Up is different from a lot of places right now because it works with an author in learning how to promote themselves and maximizing their efforts in driving traffic towards their book and just towards their social media. Actually I just like the idea I'm not shouting into a vacuum. But we all have our delusional fantasies right? LOL.

I have a lot of people to thank for this step along the journey and God knows acceptance into the club is just a step. Pamela Turner, she has to be the hardest working, most prolific lady I know. I can't wait for lunch on Thursday! You can find her title, Deathsword at Lyrical Press http://LyricalPress.com. Go find it! It is awesome! Then there's Elise VanCise, my late night writing and chatting friend who does a lot of my artwork and is a fine writer in her own right, her work can be found at http://Lulu.com. Her books are awesome too, if you like Paranormal or Urban Fantasy check these ladies out they are well worth the penny and time spent.

I, on the other hand, am a dark romantic suspense author. My title Another Way To Die is the tale of Almira Sands and Daniel Logan:

Almira Sands has been running all her life from her abusive father Jack, she knows she can only run for so long, one day the running will end and only she or her father will be left standing, what she doesn’t expect is to be kidnapped by Daniel Logan.

Daniel Logan is a mercenary who only intended to use Almira long enough to get to safety, but when she takes a bullet and almost dies he finds himself questioning who he is and what he does and saves her life.

On the run and falling in love they are forced to decide: a life on the run together, or face her father, the man who has the power to separate them forever.

Stay tuned for more to come...