The Beijing Memorandum by JB Morris ~ Guest Post & Giveaway!

Join us for this tour from Nov 25 to Dec 20, 2019!

Book Details:
​Book Title:  The Beijing Memorandum by JB Morris
Category:  Adult Fiction, 538 pages
Genre:  Thriller
Publisher:  JB Morris
Release date:   November 25, 2019
Tour dates: November 25 to December 20, 2019
Content Rating:  PG-13 (There is violence and profanity including f-word. There is no explicit sex.)

Book Description:

The headlines read:

U. S. Bolstering Pacific Military Forces to Counter ‘Massive’ Beijing Buildup.
Pentagon Acknowledges Beijing Seeks Global Supremacy.

This is what the news media is saying. But what exactly is happening behind closed doors?

The Beijing Memorandum takes reader on a thrill ride from the heavily guarded Zhongnanhai compound in Beijing to the FBI Headquarters in the Nation's Capital to the White House's Situation Room to the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City.

Former Marine Gunnery Sergeant Moses Remington knew terror firsthand. He saw it during his combat deployments in Fallujah, Iraq and in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He saw it again in Mexico when he stumbled across China’s secret plan.

Now, he must dodge Chinese assassins and an FBI dragnet to save Consulate General Gao Quan and his family from certain execution to disclose China’s secret plans to the world.

Get Your Copy of JB. Morris' Latest Release Now:
Amazon.com 
Add to Goodreads

 

Meet the author:    

JB Morris is an international bestselling thriller author with a unique writing style & received two Reader's Favorite FIVE-STAR awards for writing excellence.

Connect with the author:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  

Book Tour Schedule:

Nov 25 - Library of Clean Reads – book review / giveaway
Nov 26 - JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 27 - Books for Books – book review
Nov 28 - b for bookreview – book spotlight / author interview
Nov 29 - Bookmark and fork – book spotlight / guest post
Dec 3 - Locks, Hooks and books – book review / giveaway
Dec 4 - Book Corner News and Reviews – book review
Dec 5 - Life as Leels – book review / giveaway
Dec 6 - Casia's Corner – book review
Dec 9 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Dec 10 - Sefina Hawke's Books – book review
Dec 11 - Olio by Marilyn – book review
Dec 12 - Genuine Jenn - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Dec 16 - Jessica Belmont – book review
Dec 17 - StoreyBook Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Dec 18 – Jypsylynn – book review
Dec 20 -fundinmental - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Dec 20 - To Thine Own Shelf – book review / giveaway
Dec 20 - Adventurous Jessy – book review / giveaway
Dec 20 - Reading is My Passion – book review
Dec 20 - The World As I See It – book review / giveaway
Dec 20 - Mystery Suspense Reviews – book review

Enter the Giveaway:

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Guest Post by JB Morris 

What kind of person does that? Puts the family to bed and sneaks into a small cluttered room and closes the door? Works late into the night? Their hair in total disarray from hands constantly brushing and scrubbing their head. Snacks sustain life. Eyes become blurred but they must continue. Words demand release. The first draft—the second draft. Will there ever be a final draft?

Sleep becomes fitful. They return the next day to the human race and their families. But, they must hurry. Gulp the remaining hot coffee and swallow the last of the toast. Eight will soon announce itself and there will be hell to pay if they are late.

Work. The dead-end job.

Such a distraction.

A supervisor constantly in their face. A cubicle without privacy. An office without windows. Inane government requirements to complete a form. And it is only nine am. Will five ever arrive? The need to get home is urgent.

The injured spy discovers he’s surrounded. Is escape impossible? The flower lady’s heart is broken. Will true love survive? Teenagers remain trapped in a haunted house. They hear footsteps and a door opens. Will they live to see the morning sunrise?

What kind of person lives that lifestyle? Trapped with the need to return to the cluttered room and close the door.

An author.

They are found in every corner of America. A mother living in rural Montana. A police officer in The Big Apple. A young adult lying on the beach in Florida. The English major sitting in a classroom.

They are a fraternity—a sorority—a family.

Such is the life—Such is my life—JB Morris.

I’m confident my author’s experience is shared by many other writers. My wife once worked in a casino. She does not enjoy a television program on how to play poker. I too suffer limitations. I struggle to enjoy watching TV or movie dramas. My retired life allows me to surround myself with plots and dramas each day. I need distraction for entertainment. Something that allows me to shut down, relax

The effort required to write The Beijing Memorandum consumed many months. I researched the Zhongnanhai Compound in central Beijing and the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City along with a host of other Chinese and Mexican government and security organizations, The U.S. Senate, Tijuana, FBI, Mexican drug cartels, and Afghanistan consumed countless other hours.

I am proud of my effort. I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I did writing it.

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International Action Thriller, Dark Spiral Down—The Real Message Behind the Book ~ Guest Post by Michael Houtz

Every novel written begins life with an inspired idea—an author experience, expertise in a given field, or any number of other bits and pieces that speaks to the writer. Dark Spiral Down chronicles the life of a former Shaolin monk, living in the U.S. with his beautiful wife and toddler son, who earns his living as one of the greatest fighters in professional mixed martial arts history. The motivation behind the book has little to do with the actual manuscript. Nothing on the pages hints at the true purpose of why I wrote this story. Let me tell you how it came about.

A few years ago, I retired early from a career in medicine. No surprise, my first writing effort started with a medical thriller. I felt, and still do, the story has a strong premise and has the potential to do well. Somewhere around that same time, I read an appalling account of a child whisked away from his father to South America by his ex-wife. The courts in that part of the world were manipulated by the new boyfriend, an attorney, and the father struggled mightily against unsympathetic ears. From all accounts on subsequent research, I discovered the dad was a good guy with no history of violence, and he’d been a loving father to his son. His journey for the return of his son spanned years. Imagine dropping off your child with a spouse for visitation and never seeing them again. The account really hit home.

I continued with my medical thriller but kept going back to the event and grew increasingly angry when all his attempts to just visit with his son were thwarted. How could someone be so cruel? I imagined someone traveling there, in the middle of the night, and whisking the boy away from this horrendous adult and reuniting him with his father. Not long after that initial thought, I formed a character in my head capable of a rescue. That’s when I knew I had to write another book. Now.

With all that backstory of my motivation to write my newest novel, you’d expect the storyline mirroring my description. Well, that’s not how this book turned out. Yes, the protagonist, Cole Haufner, is a man with the necessary skill in performing a rescue, but he doesn’t pursue an innocent child’s return. He rescues two young adult women, his Delta Force brother, and recovers a device capable of incalculable destruction. Hey! Where’s the kid? Here’s where my pragmatic brain kicked in.

I’ve seen Best Selling authors write a book later in a series that explains the roots of their primary character. I consciously decided that the first would show where they came from and not wait until #5. Cole’s story-arc beginning has nothing to do with saving children. Only later does he discover his true talent and begin his life’s purpose. I wanted to follow his life in a linear fashion—just as we all live our lives in real life. I also have a secondary motivation.

Dark Spiral Down is my first published, full-length novel. So? Well, I reasoned my freshman effort would possibly look just like what you’d expect from someone’s first attempt—rough around the edges. I’m hedging my bet that Cole’s real purpose in life should be met with more writing experience and thus an improved reader experience. I didn’t anticipate the excellent reviews I’m receiving by significant members of the thriller marketplace—very welcome but unexpected. Did my decision negatively impact what I hoped to accomplish? Not at all. I’m more fired up that ever for Cole to begin his journey of bringing these children home—my true motivation for breathing life into this character. Just so happens I did learn a lot on the mechanics of writing novels this first go-‘round, and I’m confident future books in the series will benefit from my newfound knowledge.

I hope readers will join me in supporting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Like my imaginary friend, Cole Haufner, I too discovered my new purpose in life.

Bring them home!
Mike

About the Author

After a career in medicine, Mike Houtz succumbed to the call to hang up his stethoscope and pursue his other passion as a writer of fast-paced thrillers. A rabid fan of authors such as Clancy, Mark Greaney, Vince Flynn, and Brad Thor, Mike loves series writing with strong characters, fast pacing and international locations, all of which explode into action in his debut novel, a 2017 Zebulon Award winner. When not at the keyboard, he can be found on the firing range, traveling for research across the globe, or trying out the latest dry-fly pattern on a Gold Medal trout stream.

He lives at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

His latest book is the thriller/international/action novel, Dark Spiral Down.

Website: www.mikehoutz.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelhoutz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.mikehoutz/ https://www.facebook.com/mike.houtz.77

About the Book:

Title: DARK SPIRAL DOWN

Author: Michael Houtz

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Pages: 377

Genre: Thriller/International/Action

BOOK BLURB:

COLE HAUFNER is a reluctant superstar in the professional mixed martial arts world. After his latest fight, his wife and child perish in a car crash. His grief deepens when his brother, BUTCH, a Delta Force operator, is absent from the funeral and reported missing by two furtive strangers who show up unannounced at the burial. Despairing, and acting on a tip, Cole travels to his childhood home in southeast China, looking for his brother.

Butch and his teammate, HAMMER, are the sole American survivors of a gun battle between their unit and North Korean commandos, both sides fighting over possession of a stolen suitcase containing a miniaturized fusion device that could either provide unlimited clean energy or be converted to an undetectable bomb seven times more powerful than a nuclear explosion. Leading the North Koreans is the sociopath, Commander PARK. Pressed into helping the Koreans is a disgraced former CIA operative, BARRETT JENNINGS.

Cole meets with the uncle who raised him, MASTER LI, and is warned to stop his search for Butch. Barrett discovers Cole’s identity (with the help of a genius computer hacker, LILLY), which opens a twenty-year-old wound when Barrett was blamed for the disappearance of Cole’s father, along with the man’s invention. Barrett enlists the 14K organized crime syndicate to help capture Cole. Hammer, separated from Butch during the fight for the device, thwarts the gang’s attempt to kidnap Cole, and the two then set off to find Butch and the device. All parties converge on the city library where Butch, now disguised as a monk, is attempting to communicate with the Pentagon. Barrett and Park capture Butch, while the 14K gang nabs Cole.

Danger mounts as Chinese authorities begin investigating foul play within their borders. Cole fights his way free of the gang and reunites with Hammer. Both men find Barrett’s apartment and discover Lilly (the man’s stepdaughter), who divulges Barrett’s identity and plan. Cole clashes with Hammer, who is willing to sacrifice Butch in order to recover the fusion device. Lilly offers her help in exchange for her and Barrett’s rescue from Park’s grip. Meanwhile, Barrett discovers the true nature of the case the North Koreans are pursuing and, sensing he and Lilly are to be assassinated by Park once he has the device, frees Butch. Butch, trusting Barrett was sent to rescue him, leads the turncoat to the site where he hid the device. Barrett, hoping to make a quick fortune selling it, shoots Butch before escaping with the case.

Cole, along with Hammer and Lilly, arrives at the location of Butch and finds him gravely wounded. Butch fingers Barrett for shooting him and for stealing the case. Cole wants only to save his brother but Butch makes him promise to kill Barrett and recover their dad’s invention. The revelation that the device is his father’s scientific discovery propels Cole forward to fulfill his brother’s mission. Cole is forced to abandon Butch at a hospital. Cole pursues Barrett to a remote dock where the ex-CIA man is planning to escape China by boat. With the Chinese military now actively looking for Cole, Cole confronts Barrett and Park sparking a gunfight. Barrett kills Park. As Barrett turns the gun on Cole, Hammer kills Barrett. Cole, Hammer and Lilly escape via the boat, and the fusion device is safely returned.

Praise for Michael Houtz Books

“If you’re in the market for a fast paced, action filled, page-turning thriller, Mike Houtz delivers a must-read novel. I highly recommend this emotional rollercoaster of a book for every die-hard thriller reader…Get it ASAP!”

~Lima Charlie Review

“…this work proves that author Houtz is undoubtedly a rising star in the publishing world.” ~Andrea Brunais, Author

“Mike Houtz takes us on fast-pace adventure in Dark Spiral Down, a thrilling ride along the border between China and North Korea, where Cole Haufner is in pursuit of his Delta Force brother and a device that has the potential to change the world forever or destroy it.”

~Dan Grant, Author

“Dark Spiral Down is a phenomenal debut novel by Mike Houtz. This book has everything readers of the genre love: a great plot, memorable characters, and a powerful voice. It’s a must-read!” ~Ammar Habib, Bestselling & Award-Winning Author, Editor-in-Chief of Thriller Magazine

ORDER YOUR COPY: Amazon 

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Discovering Pain’s Purpose An excerpt from The Pain Companion by Sarah Anne Shockley

In the twenty-first century, one might wish that pain were an easily treatable nonissue. It is not. Millions of doctor and emergency room visits stem from pain, and addiction to pain medications, which is rampant in the United States, and often takes root when someone in pain is attempting to manage unremitting discomfort.

In The Pain Companion: Everyday Wisdom for Living With and Moving Beyond Chronic Pain (New World Library, June 2018), author Sarah Anne Shockley, who has personally lived with chronic pain since 2007, offers fellow pain sufferers a compassionate and supportive guide for living with pain that can be used alongside their ongoing medical or therapeutic healing programs. We hope you’ll enjoy this excerpt from the book.

# # #

In the Western allopathic medical world, physical pain is treated almost entirely from a material standpoint.

In our highly technological and sometimes formulaic culture, we think we will fix our pains if we can just land on the right approach from a confusing and often contradictory variety of programs, pharmaceuticals, cures, and techniques: Pop these pills, take this yoga class, read this book, start eating this, stop eating that, get off the couch, relax more, get out more. We tend to treat pain solely with physically based remedies or to mask it with chemical inhibitors.

Our doctor usually asks us where and how it hurts, and we are encouraged to describe the pain only as it is manifesting in the body. It is a rare Western-trained doctor who asks the patient how they feel about the pain emotionally, what was going on in their life just before the onset of pain, or a myriad of other inquiries into the patient’s emotional, psychological, and spiritual state of being.

One of the reasons that we usually don’t treat physical pain with anything more than physical remedies is that, most obviously, it is experienced in and through the body. Physical pain is so overwhelming for the sufferer that it appears to point only to itself. This seems logical. Yet, while we do live in a physical body, we also consist of a mind and emotions, and many believe we have a spirit or soul as well.

Despite the lack of clear boundaries between these aspects of the self, we have developed different therapeutic approaches, models, and remedies for each, as if each could be addressed uniquely and apart from its impact or reliance on the others.

Consequently, the prevailing medical language refers to the body as a thing, an object, an impersonal lump of flesh. Its physicality is somehow unrelated to the parts of us we can’t see, but which we may, nevertheless, consider the essence of who we really are. The body is inexplicably, but fundamentally, treated as separate from the inner us.

Similarly, we talk about our conditions, our pain, and the organs and systems of our bodies as if each had a life of its own as a disparate entity.

We name our conditions and refer to them by those names, as if we have been invaded by an outside force that remains distinct and separate even though it is completely interwoven with our bodies, our thoughts, and our feelings. Our condition literally lives in us and with us, yet we speak of it as something that could be pointed to and catalogued and extracted.

Although much has been written in recent years about body/mind/spirit integration, particularly in connection with the rising popularity of traditional Asian medicine and acupuncture, the Western medical approach is only beginning to adopt the concept that treatments need to include and address the whole person. Ultimately, therefore, while hugely beneficial in many cases, our scientific approach to life and to health has taught us to compartmentalize our bodies, our lives, our selves, and our pain.
Meanwhile, a growing number of people are not finding relief from pain medications or medical treatments of any kind, and doctors are finding a growing number of painful conditions, such as fibromyalgia and thoracic outlet syndrome, that are difficult to diagnose clearly or treat successfully. Additionally, we have been conditioned by our culture to keep going no matter what. We are not taught to listen to the body, or to our emotions and feeling states as they relate to the body, and certainly not to listen to or honor pain. We override the body’s signals routinely by working too many long days, by overeating or undereating, and by using various substances to feel energized when we’re exhausted or to calm down when we’re hyper.

In a society driven by schedules and fairly rigid work and educational structures, it’s probably a natural consequence that we would develop a medical system that makes getting back on track as soon as possible one of its top priorities. Nothing seems to be wrong with that on the surface, but what if, by doing that, we are sidestepping a significant purpose within the process of healing? What might be the consequences of ignoring the body’s signals, its method of communication? What if, instead of killing, or utterly eradicating, pain with pharmaceuticals, we used medications primarily to reduce pain to a manageable level, so that we can still hear what the body means to tell us in the language of pain? By not honoring the body’s inner timetable and how it relates to our whole self, we might be derailing a deeper meaning held within the pain. If so, then it is possible that this inner purpose unfolds only when we respect it and give it the time and attention it seems to be asking for.

# # #

Sarah Anne Shockley is the author of The Pain Companion. In the Fall of 2007, she contracted Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS), which is a collapse of the area between the clavicles and first ribs, and has lived with debilitating nerve pain ever since. She has been a regular columnist for the Pain News Network and is a regular contributor to The Mighty, a 1.5 million–member online community for those living with chronic illness and pain. Visit her online at www.ThePainCompanion.com.

Excerpted from the book The Pain Companion. Copyright ©2018 by Sarah Anne Shockley. Printed with permission from New World Library — www.newworldlibrary.com.

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The Simple Soul of Susan by Neol Branham ~ Guest Post

“Simple is as simple loves.” Susan Combs had long ago found the love of her life. The only problem was the other party still didn’t know he had been found. Every day Susan saw Calder Hurtz, her next door neighbor and childhood best friend. They always enjoyed the short drive to school down the dusty streets of their small Texas town. She was happy in those perfect moments, for her life at home was most imperfect. The challenging homestead she inhabited was also the favorite subject of local gossip. But one autumn day she overhears two boys having a conversation. This occasion of accidental audience sets Susan’s life on an unforeseen path. In the seasons to come, her future will be changed by two hospitalizations, two confessions of love, and one betrayal. Compulsively readable, The Simple Soul of Susan is an engaging, soul-endearing romance and a mesmerizing debut.

Buy on Amazon 

 

Born and raised in a small Texas town, Noel Branham started her career in digital communications after graduating with a degree in English. An award winning communicator, she now writes from her home in Florida about things closest to the heart: home, family, and love. Her debut novel will be published Fall 2017.   

Social Links:
Instagram: Branham.noel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noelbranham/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/branhamnoel/

  Follow the Book Tour

3 Time Romance Books Get you in the Feels

I love romance books. I love how I can see deeply into another person’s relationship and understand what love means in their context. Let’s look at the times when romance books make us feel the most:

1.       When love is rejected. There is nothing worse than getting up the courage to tell someone how you feel only to be rejected. The best romance books make your heart hurt for the rejected person but also keep you rooting for them. We wouldn't have it any other way! 

2.       When you fall in love with a character BUT they aren't real. How many times have you read about someone only to be heartbroken that they don't exists? I had one person in reaction to the 'The Simple Soul of Susan' ask: 'Where are all the Calders of the world? I want my own!!' To which I asked: 'Where are all the Susan's of the world? Find them, and you will find the Calders. If you can't find any Susans become one. I did!' 

3.       When they end. When a good romance book ends, it feels like your best friend just died. Those characters that you surrounded yourself with must stay in the book as you move on and live your life. It's hard, but never forget the good times that's were shared. They won't. :) 

If you love books that get you in the feels check out The Simple Soul of Susan, now available! Video trailer: http://bit.ly/SimpleBookTrailer

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In the Dying Light (Book #2 The Secret Keeper Series) by Angela Carling ~ Book Tour

I'm so excited to be here today to talk about my new paranormal series.  Before I start, I want to leave a link for a giveaway. I'm giving away a copy of both book 1(The Secret Keeper) and 2(In The Dying Light) in an easy-peasey rafflecopter giveaway. Enter to win here

Now, what is a Secret Keeper? Simply put, a secret keeper is a person, male or female that bears an ancient curse that allows them to change a person’s history and erase their mistakes, making their secret disappear, forever. The catch, next time the guilty party has a secret, they will not be able to tell it, even if they want to.

And this is where the Secret Keeper series starts……

Released Summer 2015: The Secret Keeper
In book one of the Secret Keeper series Winter Merrill does something she regrets. Her need to hide her mistake  is a powerful catalyst that leads her to the door of a mysterious and enchanting woman who calls herself The Secret Keeper. Sure that she’s done making mistakes, she gives her fateful secret to the woman. One week later she finds herself the keeper of another, far more devastating secret. Will she be able to break the curse in time, or she pay an unthinkable price to loose her tongue and save everyone she loves?







Released March 2016: In The Dying Light

 In book 2 …Forever changed by a deal gone awry with her secret keeper, Winter now lives an isolated existence wanting nothing more than be freed from the dark influence of the secret keeper curse in her life. At her breaking point, a stranger enters her life, one who understands how she feels and more importantly knows how to eliminate the curse. Will his friendship be a new beginning for Winter, or will it prove to be her demise?

You can find The first two books of The secret keeper series(plus some awesome contemporary stand-alone books) at:

Amazon - Barnes andNoble – Kobo - Smashwords - Ibooks 

Still wondering if you'd like the series? Here's an excerpt of The Secret Keeper

Over and over in my head I repeated, “She can make my secret go away.” I’m not sure if I was trying to convince myself, or trying to keep myself from going nuts, but the phrase calmed me as I drove.

I found Lejo Street and began the steep climb to the top. The houses in this neighborhood were small. Most were weathered if not completely forgotten. Pines grew too close together. Piles of rusted tools

and long-forgotten bathroom fixtures littered the landscape, hidden only by overgrown grasses and neglected Quakies. No wonder everyone

thought it was creepy.

My heart rate quickened with the ascent, and my palms left sticky

sweat on my steering wheel. I wiped them on my jeans only to have the

moisture build up again immediately. Soon there was nothing but dense

forest; a blur of green, broken only by the ashen skies above. The rain

came down in unyielding sheets and I turned up the windshield wipers.

Back and forth they went like a giant metronome, keeping in step with

my nervous heartbeat.

I strained to see out the windows until all at once there was nothing

in front me but a large rusted metal gate and a cracked wood sign, painted

long ago, that declared, “No trespassing.” Beyond the gate, through the

trees and the rain, I saw the pale blue house that the girl in the park had described.

One more time I said out loud, “She can make my secret disappear.”

I’d almost convinced myself now. I had to be convinced, what with the

dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere and the stormy weather.

Everything screamed “Don’t go in!” but I was driven to try something,

anything, not to lose my best friend and boyfriend.

I climbed from the car and ran until I reached the porch, slipping and

having to catch myself as I tried to take the stairs too fast. Light spilled

out through a crack in the curtains, letting me know someone was there.

I lifted my hand to knock on the old splintered door and froze. I didn’t

know the secret keeper’s name. How would I address her? Before I could

decide what to do, the heavily scratched door handle turned and the door

opened a crack. My mouth fell open. The eyes that peered through the

opening were surprisingly young.

My throat felt tight as I swallowed and it sounded loud to me. I

could turn and run. Everything in my gut told me to go, but I stood like

a marble statue frozen by my anguish.

“Who are you looking for?” she asked.

Her melodic voice made me think of dozens of wind chimes all

tinkling at once. Still, I felt uneasy.

I made myself spit out the words. “The Secret Keeper.”

An excruciatingly long minute passed and I thought she might tell

me that I had the wrong house or that I should get off her property.

Finally, in a voice no louder than a whisper she said, “Come in. I’m The

Secret Keeper.”

A little about Angela

Angela Carling was raised in Palm Springs California, but lives Arizona with her husband, three kids and five felines.  After years of denial she finally admitted that she is a hopeless romantic which led her to write her first Young Adult book Unbreakable Love. Since then she’s published three more books, Shackled, Becoming Bryn and The Secret Keeper. Shackled won the silver IPGA award in 2012 and has been optioned as a screenplay. She always eats the frosting off her cake and leaves the rest, and can be caught singing in public bathrooms.  When she’s not writing YA novels, she’s mentoring teen writers, making pizza with her family or dreaming of taking a nap, not necessarily in that order. 

Links to connect with Angela

Website http://www.angelacarling.com/

Blog http://www.angelacarling.blogspot.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/angelacarling

Facebook https://twitter.com/angelacarling

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5331346.Angela_Carling

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePajamWriter/videos?view=0

Guest Post

Now that you know what a Secret Keeper is, we are going to talk about who could’ve really used one! Many of you be familiar with the o-so-handsome British actor Hugh Grant.

Mr. Grant is a great example of someone who really could've used a secret keeper. Much like Winter in The Secret Keeper, he made one really dumb choice that made a mess of his picturesque life. He was dating an amazing and stunning woman named Elizabeth Hurley but one night in 1995, he was cruising down Sunset Boulevard and picked up a prostitute. After getting caught with the woman in his car he was charged with “engaging in lewd conduct in a public place” His mug shot was not his typical photo shoot.To Mr. Grant's credit, he immediately made a public apology and tried to get in front of the damage. He said: “Last night I did something completely insane. I have hurt people I love and embarrassed people I work with. For both things I am more sorry than I can ever possibly say.” Well said. However, I wonder if he'd had access to a secret keeper, he might've been quick to make a deal with her to erase his "temporary insanity"....and if he kept out of trouble, he'd have no second secret which is what always leads you back to the secret keeper...and indescribable trouble!

 A book excerpt from Winter’s perspective

Chapter 1

I knew he had a secret. After six months as a secret keeper, I could always tell. Usually their eyes gave them away. This time it was his body language: his shoulders slumped and his hands hung low, barely touching the sides of his pressed business suit. I wasn’t fooled by his expensive clothes. Rich people do stupid things, too, and this was going to bad one—one that would break hearts and destroy lives. It might be infidelity or a business deal gone wrong. Whatever it was, his confession was going to be painful to me.   He was the cocky type, bound to do something stupid again. He might even come back to me. I could entice him to make a final deal, and I would be free of the secret keeper curse. I pushed aside my own despicable thoughts.   He prodded along, inching ever closer to me. He knew I was his savior. I didn’t know who’d told him, but he was sure I could make his secret go away. I leapt up from the park bench and ran. My bare feet made almost no noise on the long sidewalk that pushed me deeper into the city.   “Wait!” he called, his footsteps pounding overly-loud like angry blood coursing through my veins. I ducked behind a one-story building and slid my body against the scratchy stucco wall. My shirt snagged and tore, leaving my tender skin vulnerable.   He kept in pursuit. “I have to tell you my secret,” he screamed into the long alley that bridged the distance between us. “You have to fix it!”   The word it reverberated off the walls like an odd, taunting echo. I turned, and the man behind me was inexplicably next to me. He grabbed me, pinning me to the wall with his whole body. He smelled of rot, stinky wet forest rot, of life breaking down and disappearing forever. I hated that smell. It was the scent of the secret keeper before me. Now, because I bore her curse, it would become my stench.   I thrashed against him, but he held me firm. Every muscle in my body tensed. I closed my eyes and braced myself.   “I killed my partner so I could have control of everything,” he confessed.   Words sank through my porous skin and into my defenseless soul. I arched my back in pain as I absorbed and erased his unthinkable crime. A scream tore through me and out into my dark apartment.

I sat up, abruptly woken from my nightmare, gasping for air. My hand went to my face to find it sticky with sweat, and my heart raced as if I’d actually been attacked.   The dreams were getting worse. The longer I was a secret keeper, the more real they felt. Now I wasn’t just taking on secrets during the day, I was reliving them at night with unforgiving clarity. Is this what my secret keeper experienced? No wonder she hid herself in a forest so no one could find her. No wonder she was willing to let me suffer so she could be released.   I blinked my burning eyes and tried to focus. With fumbling fingers, I reached for my phone. It was a gift from my boyfriend Liam so that I’d never have to feel alone. Once I’d become a secret keeper, no one, not even my parents remembered me.   My heart rate was slowing down, but I still struggled to push the right buttons. I hit send, and my eyes darted to the clock. I’d been in such a fog, I hadn’t considered the time. It was 3:00 a.m. Liam would be sleeping, exhausted from his classes and work. I quickly mashed the glowing rectangle with the words End Call. The screen went blank, and then a picture of Liam and I standing in front of a sign that read Welcome to ASU filled the dark space.   I ran my hands down my face as if I could wipe away not just the bad dream but the last six months of my life. I let myself fall back on the bed. On my unclad arms I felt the dampness left by my sweat. I’d have to wash my sheets again tomorrow. I’d do it after I met Liam tomorrow night.

 Thanks for stopping by and may you never need a Secret Keeper!

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