“Full Snow Moon”
by
Lisa Begin-Kruysman
Published by Bradley Publishing
Contemporary ~ Historical ~ Paranormal ~ Young Adult
BLURB
A hapless surfer, restless spirit and Native Son dig up some
controversy when they unearth a National Treasure buried at the Jersey Shore.
Cocky surfer Alex only cares
about the future. Who cares about the things of the past like an old house or
an old friend? But one February night as he recklessly takes to the road during
a snowstorm, he discovers that the past may have some plans for him. When his
life is saved by the troubled spirit of a local youth who perished during the
historic “Blizzard of 1888,” he agrees to rescue a house from the hands of a
greedy land developer. But when he enlists the help of some forgiving friends,
they dig up a National Treasure… and some controversy.
With assistance from a “hottie”
of an Historian and a colorful antiquities dealer, Alex hopes to ride a wave of
redemption. Can he rescue a piece of local and national history, reunite his
boyhood friend with his native roots and regain the respect of friends and
family?
EXCERPT #1
It was eight o’clock already. No time to waste. Alex
pulled on a ski parka, a pair of gloves, and a knit hat.
Going out to the garage, he
picked up a shiny new shovel that had never touched snow. He made a few
uninspired shoveling motions, then he slumped into the driver’s seat of the
Jeep, considering his options. For a moment, he even thought about making a
fast buck, shoveling through the night. What he had told Denis earlier was
true. He really was tired of his old life. In May, he would be eighteen. Why
did everyone treat him like a stupid kid? And, most importantly, what good was
a Jeep if you couldn’t use it?
In anger, Denis had compared him
to a rabbit. Well, if I’m a rabbit, this bunny’s gonna spring its
hutch, Alex declared to himself.
He climbed into the Jeep. But in
the driver’s seat, he sat still, like a rabbit too frightened to flee from the
hunter. The only thing separating the mind-numbing comfort of his suburban home
from the rebellious ride of his life was the garage door, which was rattling in
the wind.
He would go to the party, make an
appearance, and return the Jeep safely home. Let it storm. With the snowfall
they were predicting, Mother Nature would cover his tracks, just as she had the
bloodshed by his best – and possibly former – friend.
Alex put the key in the ignition
and pressed the button of the garage-door opener. As the door rose, he was met
by a great wall of white. Undaunted, he started the engine and rolled out into
the falling snow. No sweat, he told himself.
EXCERPT #2
When Alex regained consciousness,
pinned between the driver’s seat and the dashboard now compressed within two
inches of his chest, he had no way of knowing how long he had been stuck in the
motionless Jeep. He tried to rub his aching head, but any attempt at movement
shot a bolt of pain through every inch of his body.
Where’s my cell phone?
He pictured it lying useless,
somewhere in the back of the jeep. Then, as if on cue, it began to ring and
ring and ring, haunting and taunting him with a steady chorus of Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.
Alex felt victimized. He
wouldn’t have ended up in this situation if his parents hadn’t grounded him, or
if Denis hadn’t argued with him – or if that fool hadn’t run right in front of
his car!
But, no matter whose fault it
was, Alex knew that he couldn’t talk his way out of this one. The Jeep had been
an early high school graduation gift from his parents, given with reluctance,
accompanied by a list of rules and driving restrictions that he had spent the
past hour disregarding. In that short time, the Jeep had gone from sporting a
slight ding to being totally destroyed. Nothing in Denis’s toolbox was going to
be able to fix this mess.
“Help!” Alex called, but it came
out sounding weak. Maybe someone up on the road would hear him, if he could
just shout louder. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “I’m down here!”
Silence.
Fear began to color his anger.
What if he couldn’t make anybody hear him?
Then he heard a noise, just
inches from his face.
For a scary moment, Alex couldn’t
place the sound. Then, like the whack of a snow shovel across his head, it hit
him: someone was clearing his windshield!
“Hello?” he called with renewed
energy.
Through a snowy film, Alex made
out the silhouette of a young man wearing a weird-looking hat. It looked out of
place. Alex remembered seeing hats like that in old Charlie Chaplin movies, or
maybe in a museum. Whoever was out there held a peculiar lantern that looked
like the oil-burning one his great-grandfather had owned. It cast an unearthly
light on the interior of the car.
“Nice hat, dude,” Alex mumbled,
then regretted it, since it wasn’t a good idea to insult his potential rescuer.
But the person outside didn’t
seem to have heard. He just stood like a statue, holding the lantern close to
the cleared windshield.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Begin-Kruysman
lives in Ocean County, New Jersey, with her husband Rich and Portuguese water
dog, Hooper. Her short fiction has garnered national recognition in writing
competitions sponsored by Calliope Writers and Writer’s Digest
Magazine.
Her highly-acclaimed, Something’s
Lost and Must be Found was released in the summer of 2011 to glowing
reviews. A collection of seven short inspirational stories, the book was
inspired by her blog site established two years ago to promote the mission of National
Dog Week and her biography of its Founder, Will Judy.
Currently, she is working on a sequel
to Something’s Lost and Must be Found and her second Young Adult Novel.
Email: pst39crd@aol.com
Zeb Bradley: zeb@bradleypublishings.com,
Bradley Website: http://www.bradleypublishings.com/
Lisa is giving one lucky person an eCopy of Full Snow Moon. To enter just comment below with email address. I will announce the winner on May 15.
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Thanks for the great excerpts and giveaway! This books sounds great!
ReplyDeleteefender1(at)gmail(dot)com
Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. It sounds very good. Tore923@aol.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for the excerpts and giveaway, the book sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteMegblod@yahoo.com
Great excerpts. The book sounds good.
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