No one wants to know everyone’s darkest secrets, especially not police officer, Nicole Keenan. All she wants is a blissfully normal life in the small, Alabama town where she was born. But as generations of power running through her veins start to wake up, an ancient grudge is ignited that threatens to push her over the edge. She can hardly believe in what she is, let alone that a dark force will not stop until she's joins them. Or is dead.
Nicole Keenan's life enters into a dangerous dance with warriors and gothic fairies. Southern tradition collides with Irish folklore as she learns about love, heartbreak, and The Burden of Blood.
Excerpt from Burden of Blood:
Taking a left at the top of the next hill, she turned onto an old country road she seldom ran, thinking a change of scenery would help her focus. Quickly, the road seemed to be swallowed up on both sides by massive pine trees and old oaks, with only the occasional dirt drive breaking the landscape like subtle clues to a hunter that people actually lived in this area. Nicole barely took notice of the change, instead focusing on regulating her breathing as her legs started to scream from the strain.
“Lucky me, this is gonna be sweeter than I dreamed. Stupid girl is running right to me. She just saved me a lot of trouble. I’m so damn tired of these wild goose chases.”
Nicole stopped dead still in her tracks. Immediately, all her senses went on high alert, body slightly crouched and wide eyes scanning the woods around her. Those thoughts in her head definitely did not belong to her, but where did they come from and were they about her? There was no one around, no houses, no cars, nothing but grove after grove of trees and the empty road on which she was standing. No sign of the person to whom this rough, raspy voice in her head belonged. There was a snap of a twig off to her right, then the crunching of dead leaves. She quickly lunged to her left, to the opposite side of the road from the direction of the sound, ducking behind the first tree she reached.
“Did she see me? She couldn’t have but… Maybe he was right about this one. Hold still for a few seconds, that’s all the time I need and then we will know.”
Fear gripped Nicole, she surged forward again, reaching another tree a few feet deeper into the woods. She pressed herself hard against the sap-covered pine tree that was too small to completely shelter her from sight. She stole a quick glimpse back across the road catching sight of the sun reflecting off metal. She pressed tighter against the tree as she tried to analyze what she had seen. Was that a gun? Why would someone be out here with a gun? It’s not hunting season…Was it aimed at me? What the hell? Holding her breath, she listened for any sign the stranger was trying to get closer to her. Time seemed to be in slow motion, she heard a click… then a loud boom made her jerk reflexively. A burning sensation shocked her right arm. She felt the warm trickle of blood as her arm began to throb with the beat of her heart, and she instinctively covered it with her hand.
Someone just shot me! Her mind snapped back into reality. She pivoted on her toes as her police training kicked into high gear. Two more shots rang out, whistling past her, as she ran deeper into the woods using a serpentine pattern to throw off the gunman’s aim. She dropped off a steep hill and lost her footing but quickly got back up, ducking behind a large, fallen oak tree. “Damn me to hell for leaving my gun at home, stupid, stupid, stupid! What am I gonna do now, throw my IPod at him and hope he has A.D.D.!” she scolded herself between panted breaths. She strained her ears listening for the gunman, while trying to map out her next step. The warmth of her blood flowing down her arm reminded her that the crazy man was set on killing her.
About the Author:
Author Wenona Hulsey spends her time scaling roof tops, kicking bad guy tail and rescuing small kittens from tree tops. But during the time when she isn’t asleep, she’s a mother of two beautiful children and fiancé to the man of her dreams. She lives vicariously through great books and creates magical worlds in her spare time. She is also an avid social networker, who loves to meet new people.
You can friend her on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/WenonaHulsey,
like her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/WenonaHulseyAuthor
or follow along on her Blog http://wenonahulsey.blogspot.com/
And be sure to visit the next stop on the tour Aug 26 – The Musings of M.d Christie http://mdcwrites.blogspot.com
Would you like to win an ecopy of Burden of Blood?
Please leave a comment on this spot with your email address
A winner will be announced next Wednesday
18 comments:
Gee I carry a can of pepper spray when I run, who knew my IPOD could be a weapon. Sounds like a great book.
lvs2dv at gmail dot com
The excerpt definitely caught my interest. Please enter me in the contest.
jen at delux dot com
I love the way this book sounds it has my intrest totally and now added to my TBR list!!
alycia(at)thejeepdiva(dot)com
Great excerpt, definitely grabbed my attention. I'd love to be entered to win a copy.
carolsnotebook at yahoo dot com
Thanks for the excerpt!
Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com
Great excerpt. I love ones with copes.
debby236 at gmail dot com
Thanks everyone for stopping in an reading part of my novel!! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Good luck to you all in the giveaway :D
I liked the excerpt!! I will be reading this one soon!!
aliciahall0605@yahoo.com
I love the blurb. It sounds interesting and angsty! thanks for the giveaway.
jepebATverizonDOTnet
Wow great excerpt! I would love to read this story!
ruby95660[at]yahoo[dot]com
Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. Sounds very good. Tore923@aol.com
Hi
thanks for the excerpt, book sounds interesting
please enter me in the contest
Daniela
dany7578 at hotmail dot com
Warriors, fairies and Irish folklore...sounds like my type of read =) This is a new author to me, thanks for the post and the chance to win her e-book. Her picture reminded me of the Northwest where we used to live with all the beautiful snow...now it's hot TX :( Thanks
Tanyaw1224(at)yahoo(dot)com
Sounds like a great read! Really liked the excerpt. Thanks!
efender1@gmail.com
You had me at Southern tradition and Irish folklore! This sounds like an awesome book and I can't wait to read it! Thanks so much for giving me the chance to win a copy:)
jwitt33 at live dot com
Another one for my TBR list. Except for the actual shooting, sounds like bootcamp running through the woods. Love to win this.
Thanks
Patricia
panthers.ravens@yahoo.com
Thanks for this giveaway
micia(at)email(dot)it
This book sounds great! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
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