Today on SS I’m featuring Amy Freeman, author of the New Adult Paranormal Romance “SHINE the Knowing Ones”!!
Summary:
Sam has always had the gift of reading auras and seeing future events. But since beginning college, her gifts are strengthening—becoming more foreboding. Dark visions she can’t explain haunt her daily. She senses danger but doesn’t know why. Meeting gorgeous Olympic swimming star Trin Kosolov, who shares her extra sensory abilities, only seems to intensify the imminent peril. Sam soon discovers she was born with an identity she never knew she had and finds herself fighting for her life as she and Trin struggle to save humanity from an evil that could ultimately destroy them all.
EXCERPT:
Sam entered the dance studio and sat down as other dancers filtered into the room one and two at a time. After securing her hair in a bun, she began unwinding the ribbon wrapped around her pointe shoes. The events of the previous night had her wrestling a myriad of emotion, shock, confusion, and bliss—too much to process. She knew she may be in danger, but the unexpected taste of the man she loved overpowered any residual fear. The sensation of his strong hands lingered on her skin, the savor of his soft lips still persistent on hers. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Slipping gel pads over her toes, she pulled her pointe shoes on, tying the ribbon in secure knots just below her ankles. She stood upright as Jana entered the studio and the dancers took position at the barre to warm up.
As she began, a crushing feeling of dread threw her off-balance. The air diminishing around her as the room took on an angled distorted slope. She couldn’t breathe.
“Sam, are you okay?” Erika stood behind her, grabbing her shoulders as she staggered. Sam tightened her grip—Erika’s question unheard. Her eyes drifted toward the windows bordering the top of the room. Suffocating energy panned the outer side of the glass like black night closing in on each pane, one after the other, searching—hunting.
Intermittent images flashed in her mind; the beautiful woman from the night she was attacked—her face disfigured in terror, a striking set of twins with black hair and jade green eyes; one bearing Trin’s aura, the other radiating darkness. Trin’s angelic face and the inscription on his bracelet followed by a new inscription; the same Russian text, the same enigmatic stone, a very different symbol.
The room plunged into darkness. Maniacal hysteria fought its way up her throat into a soundless scream as the very face of evil appeared before her. He stood, hollow eyes of unnerving beauty set in a perfect face, coupled by an ironic visage of seething rage, hatred, death and damnation.
Behind the eyes lay the very composition of pain, and misery. He stared, watching her, pounding at her brain. She glanced at her hands, no longer gripping a ballet barre, but the golden handle of a brilliant dagger, her fingers and the blade bathed in sticky crimson. She dropped to the floor as the dancers and Jana raced to her side.
“Sam!” Erika was already on her knees. “Sam, what is it?” She grabbed Sam’s shoulders, trying to get her attention as Sam’s disoriented, terrorized gaze flew to her face, eyes darting around the room, down to her hands. The dagger was gone, no blood, nothing.
Jana grabbed hold of her. “Sam, what happened? Are you all right?” All of the dancers looked on with concern. “What happened?” she repeated.
Sam studied her hands, then the windows near the ceiling—the energy had passed, images gone. Pulling herself to her feet with help from the others, she said, “I don’t feel very well. I’m sorry, Jana, I have to go.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Jana asked. “Do you want someone to go with you?”
“No,” Sam replied, gathering her things, trembling from head to toe. “I just need to go lay down. I’ll be fine. I’m so sorry.” She hurried for the door, leaving the other dancers speechless behind her. She burst into the hallway, racing for the bathroom. Pushing the door open she sank down in the corner, face in her hands, tears flowing.
No longer able to distinguish between reality and dreams, she knew something real could easily be waiting outside. She pulled her cell phone from her bag, dialing Trin, praying he would answer.
No signal.
She stood, dialing again, hoping to find reception. Back and forth she walked. The call connected. She froze to retain the signal.
Please pick up!
“This is Trin, I can’t get to my phone—”
No!
Fresh tears welled in her eyes as she checked the time.
One thirty p.m.
Trin was in a meet and wouldn’t be near his phone for another half hour. She thought about calling Anna or Vig, but she couldn’t put them in danger. Trin was the only one who could help her. She hit end and began a text message
I’m in the lounge in the dance building. Something is outside and I can’t leave! Please hurry!
Still trembling, she took a deep breath and stood. In one of the stalls, she took some tissue and began drying her eyes. One more deep breath and she went for the door to wait in the lounge. Sinister energy blasted the environment. Sam ran for the corner, sliding down the wall, hands over her mouth muffling her cry as demonic blackness swallowed the room.
In a natatorium locker about a mile up-campus Trin’s phone beeped with a new text that would remain unanswered for far too long.
*_____________*
GIVEAWAY!! Amy Freeman is generously providing a copy of SHINE the Knowing Ones for a giveaway!
Author Bio:
Amy Freeman grew up in Salt Lake City in a family of five siblings, and holds a degree in Criminal Justice. She spent most of her time as a child daydreaming and creating stories. She wrote a stellar screen play at ten, her first full length book at age thirteen, and her second and third at age nineteen. She has been published in Meridian magazine, Moab Adventures magazine and her current release SHINE the Knowing Ones won second place for best YA manuscript at the League of Utah Writer’s annual conference—first book in a series of the Veduny Tribe. She is active in several writing and critique groups and maintains an online page for writers, as well as her own writing blog and website http://vedunywriter.com http://vedunywriter.blogspot.com http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18169264-shine
SHINE the Knowing Ones can be found at these online book sellers:
Amazon.com and Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/Shine-The-Knowing-Ones-Volume/dp/1481158287/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375715160&sr=8-1&keywords=shine+the+knowing+ones
Barnes and Noble.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shine-amy-freeman/1116120530?ean=9781481158282
Books a million.com
http://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=5757152994300&query=shine+the+knowing+ones&where=All&search.x=49&search.y=11&search=Search