WELCOME SUSAN E. DAVIS

SUSAN E. DAVIS

Susan E. Davis is a New Jersey Licensed Physical Therapist with over 36 years of clinical experience, who transitioned from human practice to working with animals. She owns and operates Joycare Onsite, LLC, formed in 2008, providing Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation services exclusively to multiple animal species: in the pet’s home, farm, in clinics, animal shelters, and a zoo. She currently provides pro-bono services once per week to the Monmouth County SPCA and prior to that at Associated Humane Societies/Popcorn Park Animal Clinic. Susan has been a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and its Animal Rehabilitation Special Interest Group and also belongs to the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO). In 2004, she received the Monmouth- Ocean NJAWBO Business Woman of the Year Award, and is currently a nominee for a Northwestern University Alumni Community Service Award. In addition to clinical practice, Susan is a writer and author, public speaker and consultant.
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Q&A with Susan E. Davis

What was your inspiration for your book?
The animals and how they respond to Physical Therapy, especially when compared to human beings! I have a unique perspective on this, having been a “people” physical therapist for 30 years before transitioning into the veterinary world.  Animals, though they may not be sure exactly what you are trying to do the first few minutes, figure it out fast. Once they sense you have inherent good intentions, they accept every bit of care you provide.  They don’t harbor hidden agendas. They let down their emotional barriers quickly.  Because of these traits, they absorb the benefits of PT rapidly and respond usually within the very first encounter. What may take 4-6 PT sessions for a human, can be accomplished in 2 visits or less with an animal. They also hold the improvement longer and I don’t need to schedule appointments as often. For example a person might attend PT 2-3 times per week, but animal sessions are just once per week or every other week.

What do you hope to accomplish?
Empowerment of pet owners to be able to better help their beloved furry/feathered friends.  I wrote the book specifically as a guide for the consumer, instead of gearing it toward the veterinary professional. I strongly believe that knowledge is power and if concerned owners are armed with information, they can make the best choices and achieve optimal outcomes for their pets.  As a therapy provider, I love to have clients who are savvy and keep me on my toes.  I also feel it is very important to teach pet owners all they can do on their own regarding therapy, and there are many examples and recommendations of this throughout the book.

Did you write the book in a linear fashion, or skip around to various topics?
I started with an extensive outline (which became the Table of Contents), in a logical (linear-style) order and organized by medical condition.  But after that, I wrote sections in random order, based on my particular passion at the time.  If I had a current caseload with lots of neurological cases, I tended to jump ahead to those sections of the manuscript. I drew the contents from actual clinical cases, educational courses, review of current literature, information from therapeutic symposiums, and interviews. I included anecdotal stories from actual experiences in pet’s homes, animal shelters, zoos, and farms which were woven throughout the book.

What is the most important lesson the animals have taught you?
Trust.  Not simple blind trust, but allowing oneself to trust another once you have used your internal intuition or compass to determine that the other’s intentions seem  sound.  The animals don’t wait for you to prove yourself fully or lay out all of your cards, but quickly process the initial input provided and if it meets their threshold, they surrender to your loving care.

What traits or habits are important for someone interested in writing a book?
Curiosity, concentration, discipline, a love of reading, and the ability to function on reduced sleep!

Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite current day author is Anita Shreve.  I also love the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway and Charles Dickens.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation for Animals is an essential guide that helps a pet owner navigate the veterinary physical therapy and rehabilitation field throughout their animal¹s lifespan. Topics include: finding a qualified therapist, getting started, what to expect on the initial visit, goal setting, treatment intervention plans, anatomy, and descriptions of a wide variety of conditions affecting the pet in the areas of Orthopedics, Neurology, Oncology, Metabolic Illness, etc. The book also addresses interesting topics such as Seniors/Geriatrics, Arthritis, Injury Prevention, Sports and Athletic animals, Stem Cell Procedures, Reiki, Braces and Splints, Wheeled Carts and Artificial limbs, etc. Numerous patient case studies and anecdotal stories covering over 5 animal species are interspersed throughout the book.

BOOK DETAILS:

Number of Pages: 286 pages
Publisher: Joycare Media
Publication Date: July 30, 2013
ISBN-10: 0989275000
ISBN-13: 978-0989275002

PURCHASE LINKS:

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

WELCOME CHRISTOPHER ZENOS

CHRISTOPHER ZENOS

Christopher Zenos is a pseudonym. The author is a well-published university professor who has contended with mental illness all his life. Autumn in Carthage developed, in large part, from his need to narrate this world he inhabits: The man standing at the window, bracing against the wind as he gazes in wonder at the light and comfort on the other side.
Connect with Christopher at his blog on GR:

ABOUT THE BOOK

The nether side of passion is madness.

Nathan Price is a college professor with crippling impairments, seeking escape from his prison of necessity. One day, in a package of seventeenth-century documents from Salem Village, he stumbles across a letter by his best friend, Jamie, who had disappeared six months before. The document is dated 1692–the height of the Witch Trials. The only potential lead: a single mention of Carthage, a tiny town in the Wisconsin northern highland.

The mystery catapults Nathan from Chicago to the Wisconsin wilderness. There, he meets Alanna, heir to an astonishing Mittel-European legacy of power and sacrifice. In her, and in the gentle townsfolk of Carthage, Nathan finds the refuge for which he has long yearned. But Simon, the town elder, is driven by demons of his own, and may well be entangled in Jamie’s disappearance and that of several Carthaginians. As darkness stretches toward Alanna, Nathan may have no choice but to risk it all…

Moving from the grimness of Chicago’s South Side to the Wisconsin hinterlands to seventeenth-century Salem, this is a story of love, of sacrifice, of terrible passions–and of two wounded souls quietly reaching for the deep peace of sanctuary.

BOOK DETAILS:

Number of Pages: 332 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date: March 5, 2014
ISBN-10: 1496043022
ISBN-13: 978-1496043023

PURCHASE LINKS:

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
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WELCOME SCOTT BERGSTROM

SCOTT BERGSTROM

Scott Bergstrom is a writer and traveler fascinated by the darker, unloved corners of the world’s great cities. His books and articles on architecture and urbanism have been widely published both in the United States and Europe. The Cruelty is his first novel.
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ABOUT THE BOOK

When her diplomat father is kidnapped and the U.S. Government is unable to help, 17 year-old Gwendolyn Bloom sets off across the sordid underbelly of Europe to rescue him. Following the only lead she has—the name of a Palestinian informer living in France—she plunges into a brutal world of arms smuggling and human trafficking. As she journeys from the slums of Paris, to the nightclubs of Berlin, to the heart of the most feared crime family in Prague, Gwendolyn discovers that to survive in this new world she must become every bit as cruel as the men she’s hunting.

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BOOK DETAILS:

Number of Pages: 322 pages
Publisher: NuCodex Publishing
Publication Date: February 26, 2014
ASIN: B00IODZ8U2

PURCHASE LINKS:

   

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WELCOME ANDERSON HARP

ANDERSON HARP

Anderson Harp served 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising through the ranks to become a Colonel. His stations included: the Pentagon, South Korea, Central America, the Persian Gulf, Europe, Camp Pendleton, the Marine Mountain Training Center, Fort Benning, Fort Sill, and Camp LeJeune. He has served as the Officer in Charge of Crisis Action Team for Marine Forces Central Command. His decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal and Navy Commendation Medal. As an officer in the Marine Corps Reserve, he was mobilized for Operation Enduring Freedom and served with MarCent’s Crisis Action Team. Anderson Harp lives with his family in Columbus, Georgia.
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ABOUT THE BOOK

Anderson Harp served 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising through the ranks to become a Colonel. He has served as the Officer in Charge of the Crisis Action Team for Marin Forces Central Command. His decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Navy Commendation Medal. As an officer in the Marine Corps Reserve, he was mobilized for Operation Enduring Freedom and served with MarCent’s Crisis Action Team. Using his up-to-date knowledge of cutting edge technology, and the kind of military experience that a make for great thriller writing, Harp has created a fast-moving and totally riveting thriller that will make Anderson Harp a leading name, like Ludlam and Brad Thor, in the military/political thriller. RETRIBUTION (Pinnacle Books, March 2014; $9.99) by Anderson Harp, a book in the Will Parker thriller series will be published in mass market by Pinnacle Books this March, now with full national distribution.

The remote and impenetrable Pakistani mountains have offered refuge to the worst

enemies of civilization since the time of Alexander. Now, the world faces a new challenge. Reared from birth to harbor a seething hatred, a lone man is about to unleash a firestorm that will rage for centuries. And the window of opportunity to stop him is shutting much faster than Washington D.C. can hope to deal with.

A top operator, Will Parker is embedded within the terrorists’ ranks to stop this catastrophic disaster. But with a nuclear core on its way to the U.S., Parker will go to any length to stop a devastating threat to the homeland, more lethal than anything the USA—and the world—has ever faced.

BOOK DETAILS:

Published by:Pinnacle, an imprint of Kensington
Publication Date: March, 2014
Number of Pages: 528 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7860-3421-5

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WELCOME JENNY SAUER

JENNY SAUER

Jenny Sauer is a SAG-AFTRA television and film actress whose credits include Water For Elephants, Project X, The Hangover: Part II, Millionaire Matchmaker, The Mentalist and more. She has also appeared in commercials for Old Navy, Sun Chips, 901 Tequila and Swiffer. Born in Jacksonville, Ill. and raised in Winchester, Ill., Sauer is also a third generation farm girl. Sauer has also modeled for a national Corning Ware advertisement, now featured in the new spring issue of The Knot Magazine, and Chicago designers Boris Powell Designs and Anna Hovet.
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Q&A with Jenny Sauer

As readers will learn in your new book, you grew up on a farm, worked in a lab, modeled, and have acted in numerous films and commercials. How did you come to write a book?
Those various experiences took me across the country to live in different places and subsequently threw me into different cultures where I met so many types of people. It made for a collection of interesting stories, especially from during my “serial dating” stage in L.A., I wanted to share for people to connect with and hopefully even learn from my mistakes and many adventures.

How are you so unapologetic? You say things most people probably want to say but for some reason or another don’t.
My whole family is very quick-witted, so growing up I learned a lot from my older brother and sister concerning comebacks and how they dealt with things. From that I created my own effective way of dealing with people. I won’t say I’m completely unapologetic, but I am brutally honest. I’m not a drama fiend and much prefer being straight up and real about something. I believe honesty makes life easier. That being said, I don’t enjoy hurting someone on purpose. I do actually feel bad if my honesty unintentionally hurts a person’s feelings.

I think the people who come to me for advice ask because they know I will tell them the truth and not sugar coat things. And I respect others who are just as honest with me. If someone tells me I’m wrong about something, great! I want to know my faults, and I know that I can be wrong. You won’t get anywhere in life just thinking you’re better than everyone else.

While you do give many of your exes a tough review, the good guys definitely get a nice pat on the back and you’re honest about your own faults, too. Is it hard to open up about such a personal topic as dating?
It really wasn’t hard to open up about my dating experiences; I’m essentially an open book anyway. I tell stories and argue with facts. So if the guys represented don’t like how they are viewed, tough noogies because it’s the truth.

You say you’re really close to your mom – is she going to gawk at any of these stories about her little girl in the dating scene?
She has read the book and thinks it’s funny. She has known all of the stories along the way; so there weren’t any surprises to her. I really do tell her EVERYTHING.

The nicknames for your Match.com encounters are hilarious. What do you think you ex-dates would call you?
Hmmm, that’s a good one. “Smartass McDoogle,” “Eyes”…I’ve had a lot of different experiences with guys so I’m really not sure. I’ll be frank, I really don’t want to know. 😉 I’m usually just known as “Jen” or “Jenny,” in their phones anyway. For the record, I hate the nickname “Jen,” especially on a first date. Don’t shorten a person’s name when you just met them, for crying out loud! You don’t hear me shortening your name because I’m feeling lazy and don’t want to speak an extra syllable.

You’ve written a book on dating, but you’re not married?
You don’t have to be married, or an expert, to date. And these are real, actual experiences. That’s what I’m sharing. The good, bad and ugly. I’ll find that person someday, but I’m in no rush. I’d rather take my time to make sure. I don’t feel like pulling an Elizabeth Taylor and having more than seven or eight weddings. Plus, weddings are expensive and stressful, not my cup of tea to do more than one.

Do you stay in touch with any of your exes in the book?
Yes I do, and it’s probably obvious to the reader which ones. The guys I don’t speak ill about, I still like and we left everything on good terms, so why not stay in touch as friends?

There are actually a few where I talk to them about who they are dating now and give them advice. Not every day, but every couple of months here and there. It’s nice.

From text hoarding, to stiletto porn, to old people’s toenails, you draw quite a few laughs in your book. But there is a mix of funny and serious, as you also offer some real advice. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever personally received about dating?
“Stop looking, it’ll happen.”

ABOUT THE BOOK

Model and SAG-AFTRA television and film actress Jenny Sauer adds author to her resume as she sets to release her first book on March 1. “Snickering Out Loud” is an autobiographical look into Sauer’s own dating life, showcasing her experiences from growing up on a small Illinois farm to her serial dating escapades in the big city of Los Angeles.

The book opens with an introduction into Sauer’s not-so-normal life – she’s gone from herding cattle on the family farm to publishing scientific research to modeling and acting in national films, commercials and magazines. And the dating adventures she shares next show how her various suitors have been just as much a mixed bag. College, work and love brought Sauer across the country to make lasting memories in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Little Rock, Oklahoma City and other small towns in-between.

The tall, funny and brutally honest female provides refreshingly unapologetic commentary on everything – yes everything – a gal or guy has wanted to say about those horrible dates, questioning a relationships status and waiting for “the one” to finally come around.

Tying everything up at the end of the book, Sauer includes a list of helpful advice on love and dating she’s gathered throughout her time in the field.

“The book is a nice heaping dose of Irish sarcasm, wit and humor for the dating impaired,” Sauer explained. “Let’s face it, dating isn’t always enjoyable, so I have taken my unexpected, yet surprising, experiences and made them into a big ball of side-splitting material for your reading pleasure. It’s okay not to be good at dating, just make sure you laugh about it.”

BOOK DETAILS:

Number of Pages: 168 pages
Publisher: Grinding Gears Publishing
Publication Date: February 15, 2014
ISBN-10: 0578137887
ISBN-13: 978-0578137889

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WELCOME BACK PETER MURPHY

PETER MURPHY

Peter Murphy was born in Killarney where he spent his first three years before his family was deported to Dublin, the Strumpet City.

Growing up in the verdant braes of Templeogue, Peter was schooled by the De La Salle brothers in Churchtown where he played rugby for ‘The Wine and Gold’. He also played football (soccer) in secret!

After that, he graduated and studied the Humanities in Grogan’s under the guidance of Scot’s corner and the bar staff; Paddy, Tommy and Sean.

Murphy financed his education by working summers on the buildings sites of London in such places as Cricklewood, Camden Town and Kilburn.

Murphy also tramped the roads of Europe playing music and living without a care in the world.
But his move to Canada changed all of that. He only came over for a while – thirty years ago.
He took a day job and played music in the bars at night until the demands of family life intervened.
Having raised his children and packed them off to University, Murphy answered the long ignored internal voice and began to write.

He has no plans to make plans for the future and is happy to let things unfold as they do anyway.
Connect with Peter at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

BORN & BRED is the first novel in the Life & Times Trilogy, a cycle of three books that will chart the course of one star-crossed life. It is a work of vibrant imagination from a poetic novelist of the first order.

Danny Boyle was a born angel.

At least that’s what his granny used to say, and she should know – she raised him after his parents proved incapable. When she becomes ill, Danny is reunited with his parents but they do not get to live happily ever after, as the ghosts of the past haunt their days. And when the old woman dies, all of her secrets come to light and shatter everything Danny believes in.

In the turmoil of 1970’s Ireland, an alienated Danny gets into drugs and is involved in a gangland killing. Duped by the killers into leaving his prints on the gun, Danny needs all the help his friends and family can muster. Calling in favors from bishops and priests, police and paramilitaries, God and the devil, the living and the dead, they do all that they can. But even that might not be enough.

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BOOK DETAILS:

Number of Pages: 395 pages
Publisher: The Story Plant
Publication Date: March 11, 2014
ISBN-10: 1611881161
ISBN-13: 978-1611881165

PURCHASE LINKS:

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

WELCOME TANNER McELROY

 

TANNER McELROY

McElroy lives in Dallas, Texas where he is already working on the second novel in the series, “War of Wings: The Reign,” and finishing up a non-fiction debut “The Stitches,” about his experience with baseball and heartbreak.   A former professional baseball player with the Texas Rangers, McElroy is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Romance Writers of America and the Writers’ League of Texas.
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ABOUT THE BOOK

In the beginning Heaven was perfect. All of the angels lived in complete harmony and bliss. Gabriel skated through existence on the many simple pleasures Heaven had to offer, Michael led the worker angels proudly, and Lucifer was the highest of the cherubim as well as the minister of music right under God. With one question everything changed. When God’s highest angel placed reason over faith to corrupt Heaven, a secret movement separated loved ones into two sides. After Lucifer discovered the power of the seven deadly sins and used them to empower angels, the two sides violently collided in the first war of all time, The War of Wings.

BOOK DETAILS:

Number of Pages: 384 pages
Publisher: Brown Books Publishing Group; 1 edition
Publication Date: March 21, 2014
ISBN-10: 1612541542
ISBN-13: 978-1612541549

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DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
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Guest Author LANDON PARHAM

 CMash  March 11, 2014  1 Comment on Guest Author LANDON PARHAM

BANNER

WELCOME IMAGE

LANDON PARHAM

LANDON PARHAM is a bestselling author who lives in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His goal as a writer is to raise awareness on everyday issues through fiction, and expose taboo realities that the masses give precious little attention to. The wild, majestic expanses of America inspire his visions and will continue to show up as integral parts of his work. Parham’s debut novel, First Night of Summer, became a bestseller in August 2013 when it hit #21 on Amazon’s Top 100 overall paid chart, and #2 on Barnes & Noble. It has garnered attention from FOX News, NBC, numerous law enforcement personnel, social workers, child-care advocates, and parents around the globe, as an emotional and true-to-life story. ”If we choose not to recognize the evil in our world, we will never stand up to it.” He is currently working on his next suspense novel following his debut. It will tackle a different, but no less suspenseful issue. Award-winning 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Award Finalist- Suspense/ Fiction Sony e-reader and #1 NYT Bestselling Author, Sandra Brown’s Debut Author Pick 2013 Become a fan and “like” my author page on Facebook to find out more. Get social with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
Connect with Landon at these sites:

           

Q&A with Landon Parham

Writing and Reading: 
Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
Both. The fingers can only write what the mind can comprehend. My current projects take place in the here and now, so I have to make sure the details reflect today’s reality. The number one question I am asked as a thriller writer is this: “How can you write about such horrible things?” If you read my debut novel, First Night of Summer, you don’t have to go far before realizing that I am going to confront an exceedingly taboo subject. Having said that, you don’t have to read much further to understand that the deplorable subject matter is balanced by the deep love of family, the indelible gumption of the human spirit, and the profound power of forgiveness that has the ability to soothe the evilest of wrongdoings. All the raw human emotion is created by real human experiences.

Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
Neither. All of my plots begin with a single snapshot that is conjured in my imagination. Sometimes it comes in a dream. Sometimes it just pops into my head. Once I have a picture in full imaginative color, I start asking questions and running down rabbit holes. Kind of weird, but that way the story becomes what it is, not what I try and make it.

Your routine when writing?  Any idiosyncrasies?
Tough question. I am not really a routine kind of guy. I suppose the main cause of my success – the success of completing projects – is that I just keep plugging away. Each day requires something different. If there’s a day that I feel particularly melancholy, I’ll skip to a scene that calls for sorrow or hardship. If I’m pumped up, I’ll work on action sequences. And if someone has ticked me off…well, you get the point.

As far as ticks or habits…my wife would probably have a better response than I. I’m not a great multi-tasker. Let me correct; I’m a terrible multi-tasker. Nope, still not right. Actually, I’m flat-out incapable of multitasking. The affect is that when I get in my head, I may be there for days and otherwise completely useless for anything other than writing. God bless her for it. She’s very patient with me. I guess it’s because I’m pretty handy the other half of the time.

Is writing your full time job?  If not, may I ask what you do by day?
Unfortunately, no. First Night of Summer is my debut novel. Although it’s doing well, I still gotta pay them bills. My wife and I own and operate an e-retail business. That is the day job.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Dean Koontz. Vince Flynn. James Patterson. J.K. Rowling. Christopher Paolini. Laura Hillenbrand. Lots of others, but those are my top few. The first three are also big influences in my style and motivation. Vince played a huge part in my writing career before he died of cancer. If not for him, I would not be writing this. R.I.P.

What are you reading now?
Odd Interlude by Dean Koontz. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin.

Are you working on your next novel?  Can you tell us a little about it?
My next release will confront another prominent, but slightly less controversial, domestic issue. The storyline follows a mother and father as they struggle to raise their children through bouts of poverty, issues with alcohol, and domestic violence. Lines between antagonist and protagonist are blurred, the affects of a poor home life reach beyond the home, and the almost certain cause and effect that hurt people hurt people is undeniable. Humans are infinitely complex and I never get tired of exploring our capacity for construction—and destruction.

Fun questions:
Your novel will be a movie.  Who would you cast?
Isaac: Josh Duhamel. I’d love to see him play a serious, kind of rugged role.

Sarah: Hmmm. Need a good-looking, youngish blonde mom. Classic, but someone who can play a damaged past. Someone who has overcome hardship once, and can do it again. Michelle Williams, perhaps.

Ricky: Jim Caviezel. He would probably hate the role, but I’ve pictured him since I created Ricky. I think he’s a dynamic enough actor to pull it off. Plus he has those piercing light eyes.

ABOUT THE BOOK

WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES, a father discovers that a journey of misfortune is sometimes the path to deliverance. The quaint mountain town of Ruidoso, New Mexico, is the perfect place for Isaac Snow to raise his family. But when eight-year-old daughters, Caroline and Josie, commit an innocent act of heroism, media coverage attracts the wrong kind of attention. Soon, their life unravels, leading them to the crossroads of love and hate, forgiveness and retribution.

In the dark hours of a drizzly morning, Isaac, an ex-air force pilot, wakes to find a masked intruder cradling one of the twins in his arms. Before he can react, the man in black leaps through the nearest window, plummeting in a tangle of body parts and glass. Isaac charges in pursuit, but is suddenly faced with a new dilemma. Caroline is unconscious, lying facedown in the lawn, cuts from the shattered window saturating her pajamas. If he gives chase, his little girl will surely bleed to death.

From a secretive loner with a pension for unrestrained violence to the pristine granite peaks of the Rocky Mountains–from laughter filled family dinners to a string of cross-country abductions, LANDON PARHAM’S debut novel relentlessly explores the horrific realities of unnatural lust and obsession. Taken well beyond the investigation and law-enforcement tactics, you’ll find yourself steeped in journey of evil and torment, and the power of family that overcomes it all. Suspenseful, bold and meticulously researched; a true psychological thriller that captures the heart.

READ AN EXCERPT

“Thoroughly engaging from start to finish…Overwhelming love, fear, self-doubt, and rage…emotions any parent could relate to. A foe that readers will want to see defeated, abolished, ground to dust.”
–Sandra Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of LETHAL

“FIRST NIGHT OF SUMMER is a wonderfully written tale of secrets, subterfuge and their effects on one family. Landon Parham’s debut thriller is a smooth mix of C.J. Box with Harlan Coben in an angst-riddled novel staged in the murky half-light of moral complexity. The book’s simple, ironic title belies its fully realized characterizations and multi-layered plot, serving up a superb cat-and-mouse game where very little is what it first appears to be.”
–Jon Land, bestselling author of STRONG RAIN FALLING

“First Night of Summer” Excerpt- Chapter Six

There was calm before the storm. Like fire and water, the inferno in Isaac’s eyes reached across the room and lit the violent waves dwelling in Ricky’s baby blues.

Not a split second lapsed between realization and reaction. There was never fear or hesitation, only a primal urge to protect his family. A threat cannot be posed if it does not exist, and he fully intended to eliminate the threat completely.

He raced to the window and noticed that both beds were empty. That was what training at speeds well beyond the sound barrier did. It honed an ability to think and work at the same time, in the blink of an eye, blending thoughts and actions into instinct.

The man in black must have known what was going to happen. He dropped the girl from his arms and simultaneously sprang in the opposite direction. The window was open, but not enough to accommodate the violent exit.

The child’s body hit the floor, followed by a crashing of glass. Like it was nothing more than a soap bubble, the window shattered, taking half the frame with it. The masked man fell to the lawn in a storm of debris.

Isaac was in hot pursuit, about to jump out the mangled opening. But the body, which he recognized as Josie’s, was in the way. Where is Caroline? He put his palms on the windowsill, broken glass lacerating them, and looked out. Not three feet away was the intruder. As quickly as he had flown through the window, he got to his feet and ran. And there, lying motionless on the rain-soaked lawn, Isaac found the answer to his question.

Shards of glass covered Caroline’s body. The bastard had landed right on top of her, smashing jagged pieces between their bodies.

Isaac was prepared to hurl himself out the window and give chase. Backing down was not in his nature. He had killed before and knew he was capable of doing it again. And this time, he really wanted to. He was about to do so when the bedroom lights turned on.

“What’s going on in here?” Sarah demanded. She stood in the doorway, wearing a pair of his boxers and a baggy shirt. “I heard glass—”

“Call nine one one!” he barked.

“Josie!” Her face was stricken with horror as she rushed forward. “What the hell happened?”

“Call the police. Now! Someone tried to kidnap them. She’s fine,” he said, meaning Josie.

In fact, he didn’t know for certain that she was fine. He had, however, noticed the strip of tape over her mouth. Dead people didn’t scream, so he assumed the best. She was alive but knocked out or drugged. There was no time to stop and see.

Sarah was frantic. Her eyes searched the room for Caroline. “Where’s Caroline? Where is she?”

“She’s out the window.” He watched the masked man run away. “Now please, honey. Get the phone, call nine one one, and come back.”

With his hands still on the windowsill, disregarding the little cuts and stabs, he vaulted through the open space. He landed over Caroline with one foot planted on either side of her. The blades of grass were soft. The fragments of glass, however, were not. They drove into his feet like nails, but he put the pain aside. His focus was too solitary to allow interference.

The bedroom lights lit the small patch of lawn where she laid, and he knelt. Outside of their island, the night consumed everything. He was about to run after the son of a bitch who had just disappeared behind the Howard’s home, but he stopped short. Caroline’s white sleeping shirt was stained crimson all around the neckline and chest. Had Sarah not flipped on the lights, he never would have seen it. She was hurt badly.

He heard Sarah’s feet pound down the hall and into the kitchen. In a few seconds, she was giving the operator an address and explaining the situation.

In the back of his mind, Isaac thought, I should go after him. But he couldn’t force himself to leave his little girl. Even if I catch him, what good would it do if Caroline bleeds to death? His world had shrunk to a tiny space in the great big mountain night. Outside of that, nothing mattered. Everything else was diminished. He could faintly hear Sarah asking Josie to wake up and the distant sound of an engine revving to life.

Caroline wore a pair of cotton pajama pants with different-colored hearts. The fabric was pulled up around her knees and exposed several scratches. A bead of blood ran down one calf. It was nothing compared to the stain growing around the collar of her shirt.

Moving someone who had just suffered a trauma injury was the last thing you were supposed to do. But Isaac had no choice. The way she was laying, he couldn’t see where all the blood was coming from. He gingerly rolled her flat and almost vomited at what he saw.

The side of her neck was completely sliced open. Blood literally poured from the flesh. The flow was constant and unrelenting. The gruesomeness of the laceration was not the cause for Isaac’s sickness. He had seen much worse. The gut-wrenching heave came from a sobering realization that she might be broken beyond repair. The cut was too deep, too wide, and in the wrong spot. A pool of red was already spread beneath her. The essence of her life slowly covered the green grass. He clenched his teeth and shut off emotions. His baby was dying. He had to do something.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Suspense / Crime
Published by: Valiant Books
Publication Date: 02/15/2013
Number of Pages: 315
ISBN:
0988802503 ebook
978-0988802506 hardcover
978-0988802513 paperback

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DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

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