In honor of Melissa's birthday (9/10), Melissa and Crystal are going to be giving away free ebook copies through B&N, Amazon, Smashwords and All Romance/OMNI Lit starting 9/1/12 to 9/10/12. From now until 8/31/12, we are going to continue the price of $0.99. However, when the giveaway is over, on 9/11/12, we will go back to the original price of $1.99.
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Blurb:
She'll have to believe the unbelievable to survive.
The doctors have told Kay that she will die before she reaches her eighteenth birthday. Her mother’s
determination to save her life leads them to a move outside of Asheville, NC to a new set of cancer
specialists in the hopes to help her. But it’s not what Kay and her Mom find in the doctor’s offices in
Asheville that lead them on the journey to save her before time runs out. It’s what Kay finds in the woods
outside of Asheville, and an inhumanly gorgeous guy named Ryan, instead.
Myths and fairy tales come to life before Kay’s eyes, bringing her closer to the ultimate cure if she can
stay alive long enough to get there. And if the cancer doesn’t kill her before she finds the cure the secrets
her mother has hidden from her may be the beginning of the end.
Can she reach her destiny before tragedy strikes?
Excerpt
All I could think was that if I concentrated on cleaning his gash then maybe I wouldn’t
make myself look like an idiot anymore. The concentrating helped because I could just feel his
eyes on me. I wanted to ask him what he was thinking, or why he was staring, but I thought it
was better to just stay quiet and clean his arm. I worked quickly and when I was done I looked
up into his face with a somewhat steely determination not to make an ass out of myself anymore
today. “Hey, you think you can handle it if we clean it off with alcohol. I bet it’s going to sting
like a bitch, but I’m afraid it might get infected if we don’t.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” He said as he concentrated on my face.
“Are you sure? Because a cut like that, I bet it’s going to hurt. Like hurt a lot.” I inwardly
debated if he was trying to be brave, or if he was nuts enough that he just didn’t care. My bet was
nuts.
Ryan put on a confident face and said, “I think I can handle it. But if it makes you feel any
better I promise I won’t scream like a little girl.”
Well at least I could go get the alcohol without feeling like I hadn’t warned him
properly. “Ok, wait here. I’ll go get the alcohol out of the bathroom, and I’ll be right back.” I
headed out of the kitchen and turned right down the hall towards that bathroom. I snagged it out
from underneath the bathroom sink cabinet and hurried back to the kitchen because some part of
my brain still couldn’t believe that there was an exceptionally hot half naked guy in my kitchen.
But sure enough I rounded the corner and he was still standing there waiting for me. “So, do you
want me to like pat it on with the rag or…”
“No just pour it straight into the wound. That’s the best way to avoid any infection.” And
with that comment he positioned his arm over the sink so that we wouldn’t make a mess. I just
shook my head. He really was nuts.
“I’m betting twenty bucks you scream like a girl.” I chided.
“And I’m betting a date with you that I won’t scream like a girl.” He stared intently at my
shocked face with a cocky little grin as I absorbed his comment in.
“Ok.”
Really? I thought to myself.
That’s all you can come up with is ‘ok’? He’ll think
you’re oh so smooth now. In fact, I’m sure I just won the ‘smooth award’ somewhere.
I shook my head and gingerly started to pour the alcohol into the gash that ran nearly from
his shoulder to right above his elbow. As I braced myself for the scream that I was sure he had
coming, when the alcohol hit his wound he gasped from the pain and then snapped his jaw shut.
His face became clenched and contorted from pain and his entire body literally locked up in a
spasm of sorts. Jerking the bottle upright and setting it on the kitchen counter; I stared into his
distorted face. He was in so much pain that I had absolutely no idea how he was not screaming.
His body shuddered and then I saw where there were beads of sweat on his forehead that started
trickling down his face.
I inadvertently took a step back from him afraid that he was going to crack and instead of
screaming throw a punch or something. Then the strangest thing happened; I felt a blast of hot
air that was strong enough to lift my hair a little as if it was in a breeze and then there was a rich
smell of some kind of flowers I couldn’t identify that practically engulfed my senses. My body
started tingling in response to something, and I felt a flash of heat ripple through me. Then as
quickly as it had started, it was over. I looked around my house somewhat wildly for a minute
trying to figure out what just happened. “What was that? Ryan did you feel that?”
“Feel what Kay? The alcohol burning the crap out of my arm. Yes, I most certainly felt
that.” He was looking at me somewhat analytically, and I thought that maybe he was thinking
that I belonged in the loony farm or something.
I was seriously going to have to reread the side effects of that new medication I was on.
Maybe I was having hallucinations? But it felt so real. In fact, my body was still humming with
something that I couldn’t place.
“Right, you’re right. It must have been the heater coming on or something. I just wonder
when my mom got that smelly thing. It has such a strong smell of some kind of flower.” I started
scanning the wall outlets for an air freshener plug in and then the counters for some kind of
new smelly candle. Nothing. There had to be an explanation for it. The hot air came on and hit
whatever air freshener Mom had put out, right?
“Kay, are you all right?” The way Ryan was watching me now I was obviously never
getting that date.
What a freak he must think I am.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Sorry, I guess I’m a little out of it today. How’s your arm? I guess
we should wrap it up now.” I reached for the ace bandage and shook my head to clear the crazy
fog that was still in there. I glanced up into Ryan’s face before I touched his arm just to make
sure that he was ok with me trying to take care of him.
He must want me to stand, like, fifty feet back so he didn’t catch my crazy.
Author Bio:
Jessie Lane is the writing team of Crystal Leo and Melissa Pahl. The two sister-in-laws share a
great love of breathtaking romance, cliff hanging suspense, and out-of-this-world characters that demand
your attention or threaten to slap you around until you do pay attention to them. Because really, it is ALL
about the characters. (They’re kind of megalomaniacs)
When not losing themselves in a story, they remember they have real lives. Crystal lives in
Kentucky with her husband and two little girls who plot daily the many ways they can drive their poor
mother crazy. At the end of the day, Crystal calls Melissa and threatens to ship her two nieces to their
favorite Aunt with lots of air holes punched through their box. Melissa answers Crystal’s crazed calls in
Washington state where she lives with her husband and big furry baby of a Rottweiler named Yuffie, and
reminds her that children are not shippable.
This is their first novel, but they are all geared up and excited to be releasing other projects soon!
