The release day for Masquerade: Oddly Suited is fast approaching! We, the authors, thought it would be fun to have a bloghop leading up to the book's release on April 30th! Let me tell you how this works.
Today I'm hosting one of my fellow authors. My guest will remain anonymous as this is the "masked" part of our masquerade ball. Each author will "unmask" his or her own character on April 30th. What a way to celebrate release day! Welcome to the Masquerade Ball Bloghop!
Are you curious about who today's author is? To help tide you over, here are a few facts the author decided to share about themselves. "Not long ago, I dreamed about traveling the world while never believing that I would. Then, on a whim and avoiding an ‘empty nest’, I moved overseas to take a new job. Today, I have been to every continent except for South America and Antarctica and it was all thanks to an offer I never expected. Now, I have so many memories that I reflect upon for inspiration in my writing. It was simply meant to be."
That sounds exciting, doesn't it? Now here's a sneak peak teaser that you will not find in the publication. Think of it as a little bonus scene to acquaint you with the characters. Enjoy!
Reverie
From my vantage
point atop this hill, my eyes stroll the landscape from the distant South
Mountains, the Round Tops, and Culp's Hill. I imagine war machines ejecting
their missiles of destruction from those very summits. I hear the echoes of the
clashing of arms, the report of musket fire, and the thunder of cannons. The images I
conjure seem so real.
While I am caught
up in my daydreaming, a fast-moving fog settles around me and a chill races
down my spine. I am not one to ignore my intuition, so I stow my binoculars and
zip up my backpack. Just as I turn to leave, a sudden burst of brilliant light
blinds me. As the light sparks and flares, burning brightly and then dimming, a
shadow settles in the distance. I blink and my vision clears. Even though it is
impossible from this distance, I see a soldier standing just
inside the doorway of a small building, beckoning me to him with a raised hand.
One moment I am miles away and the next, I am standing in a small room before
the beckoning soldier.
I turn in a full
circle and then ask, “How?”
He doesn’t answer.
Instead, he dips his chin toward a wounded soldier lying upon a cot in the
corner, an old woolen blanket covering him from chin to toes.
I glance down at
the soldier’s face framed by the frayed edges of the
blanket, and my breath leaves my body in a loud whoosh! I know that
face, those eyes. They are his face and eyes. And when he glances my
way, his familiar smile causes my heart to skip a beat. It’s a smile I can
never forget for I see it every night in my dreams.
I turn to
question the soldier, but he has vanished. Glancing around the room, I take in
its sparse furnishings, and then I move closer to the injured man.
“Is it really you?”
His brow furrows. “Have
we met?”
A wave of sadness
rushes over me. I wait for it to dissipate and then nod. “Yes. I believe we have.”
He dips his chin
and says, “You look familiar, but I am certain I would remember you if we had met.”
I don't know what
to say, so I ask, “Is your injury a bad one? Are you in pain?"
He shifts under
the blanket and groans, his blue eyes dulling to gray. “Yes, it is pretty
bad, miss.” My breath catches when he calls me miss. He has called me
that before. I know it.
“Savi Jo...My name
is Savi Jo. Are you suffering much then?”
“I am now, Savi Jo,
but come morning I'll be better. And I'm Sam.”
I think, Sam. That sounds just right. “Please, Sam, What can I do to help?” I need to do
something, anything that might ease his pain.
Our eyes lock and
the calmness in his blue ones soothes me. He asks, “Will you promise
me one thing?”
“Yes, of course I
will. Anything.”
“Will you remember
me, Savi Jo?”
“I will. Always, Sam.”
“Then that’s all the
medicine I require.”
I nod and without
forethought or intent, I lean down, touching my lips to his cheek and whisper, “Bye,
Sam.”
“Goodbye, Savi
Jo.” I turn and walk away, down the steps and through the brilliance, straight
into the darkness.
I feel Sam’s eyes follow me
into the void, and a faint whisper wafts all around me. Round and round it
blows. “Don't forget your promise, Savi.”
My heart whispers
in response, “I never will, Sam.”
Wow! Wasn't that great? I hope you all enjoyed it! Can you guess which of the Masquerade authors I hosted? No peeking! "Don your mask and join the party!"
SCHEDULE
Tues.
Apr 30th: Book Release and The Unmasking (Just follow links above)!
One super exciting thing happened this week, but most of you will already know about this. For anyone who may not, I'll say it again! The fourth IWSG anthology Masquerade: Oddly Suited came out on Tuesday. It's great seeing my story "Oddly Suited" in print. What author doesn't love that feeling?
