Welcome to Souls Around the World October Blog Hop - October 1st through the 31st!
Things that go bump in the night ...
It's that time of year...shorter days, chillier nights and the countdown to one of my favorite holidays...Halloween!
I've been fascinated with the paranormal for as long as I can remember and in particular, ghosts! I'll be the first to admit I've had some interesting encounters that have left me to wonder if there is truly life after death.
I've always been curious about what happens to us after we pass from this earth. Do we go to Heaven? Are we reincarnated? Do we cease to exist?
Everyone has their own beliefs. I won't get into a lengthy discussion on religion or theology but I will admit I am
beyond curious. Personally, I cannot believe we cease to exist. There has to be more, but if so, what?
Perhaps these questions are what stoke the fires of my curiousity and feed my need to research all things paranormal. Do we 'cross over' and if so, do we ever have the chance to 'come back' and visit loved ones, or see to unfinished business?
I indulge in the guilty pleasures of every ghost show available...Paranormal State; Psychic Kids; Ghost Adventures; and my all time favorite, Ghost Hunters! I read anything and everything I can get my hands on and I wonder...
My weekly FREE read for Secret Cravings Publishing,
My Soul to Keep, explores the possibility of life after death and what happens when one's soul refuses to cross over.
BLURB:
Special Agent Analiese Valentine –
aka "Val" – lived and died for her career. Possessing a sixth sense for as long as she could
remember, Val always knew she was different – and so did everyone else. So
different, in fact, her own mother – apparently unable to tolerate her
daughter's unusual gifts – abandoned her, forging internal scars so deep most
relationships, if any, were cultivated at a safe
distance. A near-tragic accident opens unexpected doors – some otherworldly –
changing her life in ways she'd never imagined possible.
Dr. Maxwell "Max"
Thornton, a psychologist, lives an almost reclusive life except for his practice.
Although his empathic abilities allow him to help his patients in ways most
practitioners never could, the effort is taxing, at times debilitating. Keeping
a limited and selective clientele, he manages to pursue a career and maintain his sanity, convinced normal relationships are out of the
realm of his reach.
When a guarded agent and a
reluctant empath cross paths, unexpected revelations occur and a delicate
thread binds them to one another as a predetermined Fate begins to unfold, sending
them plummeting into a war between good and evil.
Here's an excerpt ...
At three o'clock in the morning,
Val awoke to the sounds of voices in the other room. "Damn it Theo. This
isn't a frat house," she mumbled, climbing out of bed.
Padding down the hallway, the
voices stopped suddenly, a cold chill creeping up her spine. "Theo?"
Silence.
"This isn't funny Theo. I
have to be at work early and-"
Her half-hearted tirade was cut
off by the sound of a deep growl behind her. Whirling around, she expected to
see something but the room was empty, lit only by the streetlights outside.
Pale fingers of light reached across the hardwood floor, tiny specks of dust
swirling within. Shadows shifted in the far corners of the room and the faint
sound of whispers had her turning in circles.
"Who the hell is here? Come
on…show yourself."
The echo of a sinister laugh came
from behind her and she whirled around again, the air within the apartment
growing heavy; dark.
She'd never encountered a ghost
that didn't want to talk to her.
Knowing she could see and hear them was the reason they sought her out in the
first place.
This had to end now.
"Whatever. You don't scare me
and I'm going to bed." Before she could turn towards the hallway, something
pinched her hard on the back of her upper arm, eliciting a surprised yelp.
Instinctively, she grabbed her arm, turning away from the source of the attack.
"Hey! Keep your damned hands
off me!" For the first time, fear crept into the picture. No other ghosts
had ever touched her, no less tried to hurt her, during an encounter.
As she moved towards the light
switch, a sharp slap to the side of her face almost sent her tumbling to the
floor but she managed to reach out, grasping the top of a chair with trembling
fingers. "You son of a bitch!"
Her first instinct was to get her
gun but the realization she didn't have it anymore – and the obvious reality of
trying to fight something you can't see – left her feeling unusually
vulnerable.
Backing out of the living room,
she moved towards the phone then stopped. Who the hell was she going to call?
Surprisingly the first person that came to mind was Max, not Riley. Why not
Riley first?
Maybe because he abandoned you Val, turning his back on you, leaving
you to fight this thing alone. Anger began to replace fear and she used it
to her advantage.
"What the hell do you
want?" she nearly screamed.
An eerie silence followed the echo
of her demand before she heard a spine-tingling whisper in her ear.
Your soul.
Feeling as if she were going to be
sick, she ran to the bathroom, a silent scream trapped in the back of her
throat when an unseen hand grasped her ankle.
The impact knocked the breath from
her just before her chin hit the floor. The coppery taste of blood filled her
mouth. Rolling over, she tried to sit up only to be shoved back down, followed
by a heavy weight straddling her chest. She screamed as the air seemed to be
pushed violently from her lungs.
"Get off me," she cried,
struggling against the suffocating weight pressing her against the floor, fear
again replacing anger. She didn't know what to do to fight this thing.
"Theo!" she cried out,
desperate for help.
If you'd like to read more, My Soul to Keep is available for download at SCP. It's FREE and each week, a new installment is posted.
I know there are many of blogs to visit and I'm happy you stopped by! As a thank you, I am hosting a contest sof my own!
If you'd like a chance to win a $31.00 Gift Certificate to either Secret Cravings Publishing OR Amazon (winner's choice), all you need to do is leave a comment as to whether or not you've had a paranormal experience of any kind! Feel free to share as little or as much as you want to!
The contest will run through October 31st, of course, and a winner will be announced and notified November 2nd.
Be sure to leave your e-mail address at the end of your comment so I can contact you if you're a winner! Winner will be chosen by Random.org!
Be sure to visit all of the authors participating in the
Souls Around the World October Blog Hop for a chance to win a Sony E-Reader filled with books from many of the authors participating!
The contest is open to anyone in a country that is participating including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The winner will be selected November 1st! Good luck to everyone and enjoy the blog hop!
Thank you again for stopping by and be sure to tell your friends about the Souls Around the World October Blog Hop!
XOXO Layla Hunter XOXO
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