Title: The
Wishing Well Curse
Author: Lynn Donovan
Published: April 15,
2013
Word Count: 64,000
Genre: Christian
Gothic/Paranormal
Content Warning: G-Rated
Synopsis:
Zeke Clay is down on his luck. He’s lost everything—an
apartment, an education, a girlfriend, his job…
When a mysterious letter comes from a law firm in Colorado, he decides things just might be looking up. Now he stands to inherit a fortune, but it comes with a price. He must break a family curse and restore true love. What does he know about breaking a curse? And who is this Great Uncle Luther Clayton, who claims Zeke is the one? Can he piece together the clues left by his dearly departed?
Who can he trust? The Apache Indian attorney? Her great nephew? The leather-clad, Harley riding Pastor? Least of all, himself?
What about the Ghosts?
…And why does his three-year-old tattoo bleed every time he gets near the wishing well?
When a mysterious letter comes from a law firm in Colorado, he decides things just might be looking up. Now he stands to inherit a fortune, but it comes with a price. He must break a family curse and restore true love. What does he know about breaking a curse? And who is this Great Uncle Luther Clayton, who claims Zeke is the one? Can he piece together the clues left by his dearly departed?
Who can he trust? The Apache Indian attorney? Her great nephew? The leather-clad, Harley riding Pastor? Least of all, himself?
What about the Ghosts?
…And why does his three-year-old tattoo bleed every time he gets near the wishing well?
Excerpt :
Zeke merged
onto Hwy 71 East. He needed to find a truck stop and settle in for the night.
He stared at the sedan in front of him. Suddenly, the car fish-tailed, it spun
a full three-sixty and crossed two lanes. He slowed his car and eased over to
the shoulder. As the sedan careened into the soft shoulder it began to flip end
over end and skid on its side through the grass and weeds. It slid into a
water-filled ditch and rolled over onto its top as it disappeared into the
black, murky water.
“Oh my God!
Oh my God!” Zeke shouted as he jumped from his car.
Circular
waves radiated from where the car had landed. He blinked against the acrid
stench at the water’s edge and waited. Where was the driver? No bubbles. Nobody
broke the surface. Nothing.
“OH MY GOD!”
He had to go in that God-awful water. He had to help. He wasn’t licensed. He
wasn’t legally obligated and yet—he was. He gingerly stepped into the water.
His Doc Martens were fine for greasy floors. Not so great in slimy mud. He
slipped and fell backward. Black mud oozed between his fingers as he fought for
purchase. When he tried to stand up, he slid down to his thighs. Putrid water
soaked into his clothes and splashed up toward his face. Nothing in clinicals
had ever smelled this bad. Maneuvering himself best he could toward the center
of the ditch, he reached for the car. When his hand touched metal, he took a
deep breath and sunk underwater.
Submerged in
the green-black water, he could not see. It was disorienting. He found a door
handle and pulled it open. Reaching inside, he felt the steering wheel. He
concentrated on finding the driver. When his hand reached a potential body, he
dug into whatever material he could and pulled with all his might. Something
held it tightly in place. The seat belt.
Zeke’s lungs
felt ready to burst. He pushed back away from the car and rose to the surface.
After he sucked in a deep breath, he returned to the open door. With his
fingers, he found the seatbelt latch, and pushed and squeezed until it finally
released. Once again, he dug fingers into a shirt and pulled with all his
might. This time the guy came with him. The bottom of his shoes slipped against
the slimy ditch wall. He fell back against the sedan.
Oh, Jesus. Please
help me. He shoved himself away from the car. Somehow his shoes took hold and
he pulled the limp body along with him. One step at a time, he dragged himself
and the guy until they were both on the grass.
The man lay
motionless. Zeke scanned the darkening highway. No cars. No headlights. He
pressed two fingers on the guy’s carotid artery. No pulse. He put his ear on
the guy’s chest. No heartbeat. And he definitely wasn’t breathing.
“I’ve only
done this on Sim-Sam—but I know what I’m doing.” He intertwined his fingers,
one hand over the other, and started pumping the chest while counting. “One-one
thousand, Two-one thousand, Three-one thousand, Four-one thousand…”
Dusk faded to
night. Where was everybody? Why wasn’t somebody coming? “God, please, help me.”
Why he was
even saying that at all? Desperate times, desperate measures. Nonetheless, he
kept counting and hoping.
Shimmering
lights appeared on the horizon. He squinted and prayed they’d stop.
About the Author:
Lynn
writes from her heart and five decades of experiences she has accumulated as
daughter, wife, mother of four, and grandmother of seven when creating her
stories. She categorizes herself as the “sandwich generation” because she is
caring for her mother who has Alzheimer’s and is one child away from an empty
nest. Besides blogging, Lynn enjoys reading and writing mainstream fiction and
speculative fiction, but you might find a historical romance among her
collections as well. She currently lives in Southwest Kansas but looks forward
to building a home in Colorado. She attends a Creative Writing class at the
local college to sharpen her talents and increase her creative juices.
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
GRAND PRIZE: Signed print copy of The Wishing Well Curse, a Bracelet and Bookmark inspired by the
book. (US Only)
SECOND PLACE: $20 Winner's Choice of Gift Card to Amazon or
B&N (or even PayPal Cash) (INT)
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OMG...the except left me wanting more. The cover looks great and I loved signed books. Thank you for the chance to win. Hoping to win :-D
ReplyDeleteSarah
slieurance21@gmail.com or BookingGoodATX@gmail.com
Hi! That bracelet looks awesome!
ReplyDeletethat bracelet looks really pretty. this book sounds really good. I LOVE the name Zeke aha, this book sounds pretty interesting, a tattoo that bleeds near a well? whaaaat? can I read this now please. I like the cover so so beautiful and haunted.
ReplyDelete