 Happy Book Birthday, Laurel Houck!!Becoming a published author isn't an easy task. First you have to have an idea, then comes the hard part... you have to actually finish the book. Many people have wonderful ideas but they never put their behinds in the chair and complete their writing. A new idea comes around or they let their negative tape get in the way. But you MUST finish a book in order to become an author. Edits, querying and more edits. All of those are things that occur before you become an author. Cover art is selected and you establish your brand. Whew, are you tired yet? Becoming a published author isn't for the faint of heart...but today we have another new member to the club! Laurel Houck... Some say you never forget your first kiss... but really, you never forget your first book! The Girl with Chameleon Eyes It’s an abrupt, uncomfortable incarnation for Summer, the ghostly girl with chameleon eyes. Exotic hues roil in her gaze as she seeks to recall what awful sin in her past has doomed her to roam the earth. And to discover what—or who—will bring her to eternal rest. Kota, brunt of bad jokes because he’s different, feels an instant connection to Summer. She recoils at the mere sight of him. Yet they are drawn together in a dance of mutual need, choreographed by the ages. As Summer grows more attached to both her young foster brother and to Kota’s friend, Preston, she struggles against complacency. Until discovering that if she doesn’t expiate the guilt on her soul by her seventeenth birthday, she will roam forever. For her, it’s hate at first sight. For him, it’s instant attraction. When the pieces of their lives begin to unravel and intertwine, will love be enough to save them both? Or will evil decide their future? Excerpt My vapor solidifies with no warning whatsoever. Abrupt. Compact. Unexpected. I’m near a dumpster that squats behind a floodlit Sheetz gas station, the stench of hot dog grease and burnt coffee strong in my nostrils. My feet are last to materialize, so that for a moment when I look down, I’m floating about five inches above the pavement, white mist above black asphalt. With the physical transformation comes the rest of it. Light and cool converts to heavy and hot. Yearning and searching morphs to fear and uncertainty. Naked and misty transforms to flesh-bound and clothed. I’m grateful for the garments that cover my skin, even if how that happens is a mystery to me. The nausea and dizziness are stronger than the last time I can recall. I lean against the dumpster and slide to the ground, knees up, head in my hands. It will pass soon. I hope. “Miss, are you okay?” A deep voice rumbles above the traffic noise. The tall, ruddy-faced cop is standing over me, wearing a black uniform and a hat with a band of navy and gold squares. “I’m Officer Sullivan. Did someone hurt you?” “I’m fine.” I scramble to my feet, glad it’s dim in the shadow of the dumpster. I’m still shaky and have no clue what color has risen in my eyes. Between the lights and my startling arrival, anything is possible. I keep my head down. What can I tell him? I know that I used to be alive, that now I’m a ghost, and that I’m searching for something to expiate my guilt over...what? Beyond that, fuzzy at best. Grab Your Copy Today!! |
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