7 Weeks To Launch! Plus More of Chapter 1

7 WEEKS TO LAUNCH! PLUS MORE OF CHAPTER 1

Here we are. Seven weeks left. Marketing plan is well under way. I'm about to begin the process of publication within the next few days.

I'm beginning with the plan first because we are putting the final touches of the book cover. So I have time as it were. However, that won't stop me from starting that process later in the week.

And now, as promised, here is more of the first chapter!

(Remember that as these weeks go by you will be able to read the whole section right before I begin the Kindle promotion.)

Chapter 1 (cont.)

‘Okay. Do continue.’

‘So, the events started about two months after they moved in...’ Sam began.

Liz was the first to notice it. It would happen when the kids were at school and Peter was at work.

Slowly at first, she would hear noises coming from other rooms. Footsteps, knocks on walls and even sounds from the ceiling.

When she would go and look, the sounds stopped. She then just shrugged her shoulders and went back to doing whatever she was doing at the time.

Slowly, over time the events became more frequent and other things began happening.

She would notice that the sound of running water came from the bathroom, which stopped once she reached it. Lights flickered, even if they were switched off and then she caught glimpse of a female figure at the end of the hallway.

Before she realized it, the image was gone. However, that sighting meant an escalade in episodes, which would soon include the children.

Liz would talk to Peter about what was happening, however he didn’t experience anything. He would ask “are you sure you’re not just hearing things?” Then follow it up with “it’s a new house for us, there are bound to be noises this place makes that you aren’t used to.” However, she knew the difference but couldn’t share in the events because, at first, it would only happen around her.

One night, that would change how they all felt.

It began when the kids were settling in and preparing to go to sleep. Luke and Tina had just laid down, the parents had kissed them goodnight and closed the door. The room was dark.

Tina drifted off to sleep fairly quickly, however Luke was restless. He began staring at the corner of the room by the closet, when he thought he saw something there.

A shadow had formed in that corner. It was black and he wasn’t sure that he could see through it but as he continued to look, the shape began to move towards him.

At first he thought he was seeing things, however as it moved closer it took the shape of the woman that Liz had seen earlier.

It reached a point, about halfway from the wall to the corner of the bed and stopped.

By this time Luke was scared. He couldn’t move or say anything because he was so frozen with fear.

It stood there, watching him for several minutes.

Suddenly, it rushed up right to his face and looked him in the eyes.

He could see every detail of her. She was pale in complexion, her face looked like there wasn’t much left. Just skin and bones. There were no eyes, just dark sockets. It took everything that he had to scream. As he did that, Tina woke up suddenly and became terrified of what she was seeing.

Liz and Peter rushed in to see what was happening. That’s when, for a brief moment, they both saw it too.

The father yelled “out of my house!” Then switched on the lights and it was gone.

Sam sighed. This one was particularly troubling. ‘That was the last time they set foot in their home. No one has been back since and that was three months ago. They have tried everything and everyone, no one has been able to help them. We are their last hope. Both Liz and Peter have agreed to come with us to do the investigation. Their children are at her mom’s house.’

Lucy sat back and thought a moment.

She needed to be sure that she couldn’t rule out the normal things that people might think of.

Her Skepticism moved to curiosity and she nodded to her best friend.

‘Let’s take a look.’

I hope you enjoy!

Mark

8 Weeks To Launch - Plus Major Announcement! More On CH. 1

8 WEEKS TO LAUNCH - PLUS MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT! MORE ON CH. 1

So the road to publication continues. There are officially eight weeks left to go.

I have one thing I haven't properly declared yet. That is the release date.

Well today I'm happy to say that the book will be launched:

September 13, 2016

That is a Tuesday, which is eight weeks from now. :)

You are the first that I've said this to as well. (Besides my wife of course.)

Almost there!

Now without further ado here are two more pages of chapter one:

Chapter 1 (cont.)

Lucy thought a moment.

‘Okay, so before you say anything more, you know that my first thing I’m going to say is, “let’s look for the physical evidence first”. I’m going to want to really make sure that they are having a problem and it’s not all “in their head”.’ Lucy replied.

Sam sighed. ‘I know, Lucy. You say that every time.’

‘Well, that’s because most of what we’ve come across I’ve been able to find a reason why it happens.’ Lucy retorted back.

Sam rolled her eyes.

Lucy snapped. ‘See there you go again. All I want to do is make sure that what we are collecting is genuine and not manufactured because someone thinks that it would be cool if we performed an investigation, so they can make money from it.’

Sam paused a moment.

‘I know, I get that. I don’t want us to be publicly announcing “this” place is haunted or “that” house is, if it really isn’t.’ Sam replied.

Lucy smiled. ‘This is why we make for an incredible team. Because we can balance each other out so well and that we are after the same goal.’

‘You’re right, as always.’ Sam replied.

She often would say that because Lucy’s mind can be so closed at times. It’s almost as if she is still bringing her past to each of these cases. It seemed to Sam that there were more times that Lucy was discovering she couldn’t “explain it away” as she would put it.

‘Are you ready to hear about the case?’ Sam asked.

That was another thing Sam knew about her friend, she had to let her speak first. Allow Lucy to just “get that off her chest” so she would settle down into an open discussion, before moving forward.

‘I’m ready, sorry Sam. I know I need to allow you to introduce the case before I say anything, it’s hard for me to break that habit. I’m working on it.’ Lucy replied with a smile.

She knew what she was really talking about. ‘I know you are. I’m here to listen, you know I am.’

Lucy nodded, ‘Thank you Sam. Now let’s talk about this case.’

Sam began introducing the family, one by one. She started with the person that contacted her, the wife.

It was obvious to Sam that she was at the end of her rope. So, for their privacy, as per Lucy and Sam’s “operating procedures” they assign fake names so they could write about it or discuss it in public without anyone knowing who the clients really are.

The only place that the names of the people are found, would be a scrap piece of paper that Sam would show Lucy, then they would burn it as soon as they were able.

They went out of their way to protect the identity because they learned firsthand what happens in a small town when some people catch wind of who the real identities are and ridicule them.

It was their first case and it became so bad that the young couple felt they had to leave because a number of people were effectively pushing them out.

In this quaint town, there are some that don’t care what paranormal events are happening and others that do. In the group that does put their attention on it, some think it makes for great business and generally love hearing about the latest news.

Then you have a small group that feel if the town becomes known for these hauntings, it’ll push the tourists away.

Even though that’s already happened. In their minds, Island River is this peaceful beautiful place to live which is very popular with the tourists and couples who want to marry. To them, nothing paranormal happens here. They live in a bubble, while the rest of the townsfolk either don’t care or love hearing the latest story.

‘The names that I am giving them are: “Liz”, “Peter” and the children “Luke” and “Tina”. Luke is ten and Tina is eight.’ Sam stated. 

I hope you have an amazing day!
Mark

9 Weeks To Launch! Plus More of Chapter 1

9 WEEKS TO LAUNCH! PLUS MORE OF CCHAPTER 1

As promised, the countdown continues.

I have sent the book to the copyrighter's and am continuing to do a basic formatting for Kindle.

With the Kindle version, there are no content changes, just need to get rid of the "italics" and large spacing issues that the software will flag, plus the page numbering. That's it.

As of right now I'm down to just the spacing issues.

Then finally, the work on the book will be done. Completely.

Whew!

So for today, I post another two pages of the first chapter. I hope you enjoy. :)

Chapter 1 (cont.)

It’s easy to see that, with the surrounding countryside and ocean. There is almost an eerie quality to it.

She was born about thirty some years ago (she won’t tell anyone her age, it’s not very “lady-like” in her book). Anyway, where she grew up, the place she lives now is Island River. This town was so named after the settlers discovered a river nearby.

The history goes all the way back to the late eighteen hundred’s.

This past has created a rich goldmine of ghost stories. Some true, some not but they all have one thing in common, the people love talking about them. It’s actually created one more reason why a few tourists come here.

That is another motive why Lucy stays. She loves the paranormal. Even though, she wants to debunk it first. Samantha, her best friend and her have teamed up to document the past of this town, from a “mystical” point of view. They balance each other out well, Lucy is the “skeptic” and Samantha is the “believer”.

Since Lucy is the photographer, she is the one that runs the cameras and both Samantha and her operate the digital recorders.

But Samantha (or Sam as she likes to be called) brings another quality to the “ghost hunt”. She is a psychic/medium. However, she prefers to consider herself a “sensitive”. It seems to more accurately describe her gifts.

They work together perfectly. Lucy, with the technical background compliments Sam with the “mystical” experience.

Between the two of them they have uncovered a lot of the history.

“They” do not scare them, instead both ladies have this thirst, a hunger for this work. So much so the pair of them feel as if they have reached their “calling” in Life.

Lucy and Sam wondered where all of this was leading...

Don’t get them wrong, they love what they do. But they couldn’t shake the feeling that something was driving them in this direction.

Time will tell...

Lucy came out of the bathroom, refreshed from her shower, ready to start the day.

As she was getting dressed, the phone rings.

‘Hello?’ She asked.

Sam answered back. ‘Hi, Lucy, it’s me. Ready for our next client?’

‘Hi, Sam. Yeah, I’m just putting my clothes on now.’

‘Okay, great. Shall we meet at the coffee shop?’ She asked.

‘Sure.’ Came the reply.

As Lucy made her way to the car, a man shouted from the other side of the street, ‘Hi, Lucy!’

Looking at him, she spoke with a smile. ‘Hi!’

‘Have you caught any ghosts today?’ He asked grinning from ear to ear.

Lucy smirked, ‘Not yet but we may have a new case soon.’

‘Oh wow, that’s awesome! Well, have a great day!’ He replied. The man waved, smiling as he did as he went back to walking.

‘You too!’ She replied. Lucy didn’t know who that was but it didn’t matter anyway. This town thought of the two women as their own personal celebrities and they enjoyed the attention.

So many here were just plain friendly.

It’s another reason why she loves it here. After all, why would she want to leave a place that, for the better part, most of the townsfolk really enjoyed her being part of the community.

A little while later, Sam and Lucy met deciding to have a cup of coffee to discuss their latest case.

Sam started right in. ‘So, this family has been having trouble for months. There is a husband and wife, plus two children. The wife came to me because the activity has escalated and the kids are now in danger.’

I hope your day is amazing!

Mark

10 Weeks To Launch! Plus Chapter 1

10 WEEKS TO LAUNCH! PLUS CHAPTER 1

It's finally begun. There are now ten weeks to go before my book finally hits the "shelves". (Okay, well it's a virtual bookstore, but you get the meaning. Lol.)

To recap: Dream, Recurring is a paranormal mystery set in a small seaside town. 

"Cynical by nature, a photographer discovers that she's haunted by a being after she starts having a recurring dream. Revealing a secret that only the dead know - with the entity bent on keeping it."

I will officially announce the release date soon. However, it is no more than ten weeks.

As promised I will deliver the first chapter here. Each week you will be able to read two pages of the section. I hope you enjoy.

 Chapter 1

The road was winding. The view outside of the car was turning into a spectacular vision of hills that were covered in trees, a river off to the side and mountains in the background.

Where am I? Lucy had a profound sense of being lost.

The car kept moving. It seemed to know where it was going. She just shook her head in amazement. Wow, she thought. The beauty here was like nothing she’d ever seen on the island.

The vehicle continued on its own...

Before too long, she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. Turning to look at it, her eyes widened in amazement.

It came to a stop, jolting her out of bed.

‘Oh my gosh, not again! That’s the second day in a row!’ She uttered.

To begin the day like this was not something that she would consider as normal. Was she in control of her dream? Or was the dream in control of her?

Either answer she couldn’t accept it. Then again, maybe she was creating an issue that really wasn’t there.

Time to get ready for the day. Lucy thought.

She went in the bathroom to begin her normal morning ritual.

Her bedroom was on the small size for a master but it was able to fit everything that she wanted in there. The queen size bed took up most of the room, with a dresser at the foot of the bed, against the wall and a closet off to one side.

Her clothes were all neatly picked up and put away, with the exception of her favorite baseball cap. It hung on the bedpost, waiting for her to pick it up and put it on. It had her logo that she created for her business. She wears it everywhere.

The rest of her house was the same way. It was cute and functional. Clean and well kept. It had one other bedroom but she was lucky enough that it had a master bath and a small bathroom off the Livingroom. It was just big enough for a single person or a young couple to live in modest comfort.

It was what she could afford after the divorce but coming back to her roots seemed to be the right thing to do.

She didn’t have much after all was said and done. The marriage happened when she was “young and stupid”, as she would say. Other words that would come out of her mouth, when her best friend and her would talk about it was, “never again” or “I couldn’t believe it”. The pain, even now after all this time, was still too raw.

As you looked around the Livingroom, there were some stunning photos of people and landscapes. Each one was signed at the bottom right-hand corner: “Lucy Blakely”, followed by the year it was taken.

At least her mortgage payment and living expenses were small enough for her to live in modest comfort. Mainly because the town that she lived in was away from the big cities and nothing of interest happened here. Sure it had its visitors, mostly tourists but some came here to learn about the history. Even though it’s a small town, the one thing that it had plenty of was the past.

She loves it. There’s no-where else she wants to be. Its attractions are what brings so many tourists and couples who want to get married there. It has become quite a hotspot for a young pair to marry and/or have their honeymoon.

Mark Canniff


May you have an amazing day!

Mark