Monday, May 30, 2016

Straight Browsing from the Library: Pork by Rosemary Anthony


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE BLURB


High school is torture for Steven Walthurst, and home isn’t a whole lot better. The only place that offers respite is an abandoned tree house at the edge of town. But something lurks in the nearby woods, and the long line of elm trees has a clear message for Steven: keep out.

Then one day, Steven finds a little girl lying unconscious, perilously close to the woods. As the two get to know one another, Steven experiences real friendship for the first time—and gets closer than ever to knowing the darkness that skulks between the trees.

He dedicates himself to keeping his new friend safe, but the tranquility of their fragile hidden world doesn’t last long. When an act of cruelty pushes Steven to his limits, his secrets—and those of the dark woods—come close to unraveling, threatening to destroy the one thing making his teenage life bearable. Can Steven save everything he’s built from crumbling under the pressure?

READ AN EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT


Feeling a bit more courageous, Steven rolled her skinny body to face the sky, and her right hand flopped to the ground next to his knee. He brushed the hair off her face, revealing her pink little lips. Her skin looked pale against the dark soil. An idea occurred to him, and he ran back to the tree house.

When he returned five minutes later, he was holding a tarp and a cloth. He dropped the tarp on the ground, dipped the cloth in the stream, and gently wiped her face clean. The girl had the face of a baby; Steven guessed she was no more than six. Tucking the corner of the damp cloth into his pocket, he unfolded the silver tarp and spread it on the ground. He rolled the girl onto the tarp and pulled it toward the base of his tree house.

Fifteen yards on, the tarp lacked tension and weighed little more than the shirt on his back. Steven turned around to find the girl curled on the ground, still unconscious, while his hand gripped the empty tarp. He let go of the corner he was holding and rolled her back onto the tarp before pulling it again. Finally he reached the tree, his breath quick and uneven. He was sweating again.

“Hey,” he said, tapping her face. He checked her breathing once again before sitting down on a protruding oak root. Wiping the sweat off his brow with a forearm, he reached for the damp cloth tucked in his pocket and wiped her hands and legs. He ran to the creek twice to wash the cloth, and every time he did, he wondered if what had happened to the little girl would happen to him if he ever decided to cross to the other side. As he gave the cloth a final rinse, he looked up at the woods and watched the maple and elm branches as they swayed in the wind.

There were no open wounds or blood on any part of her body, just a few scratches on her hands and blisters on her feet, probably from crossing the creek. She could have been running away from something in the thicket beyond the creek. Something or someone could have chased her in there. Steven shook his head and blocked his mind from thinking about it, at least for now.

When he finally sat on the root again to rest, sharp pangs of hunger struck him, so he ran up the ladder to retrieve his chicken sandwiches and a bottle of water. He perched the container on his knees and ate two of the five sandwiches he had brought. He drank some water, and when the girl still didn’t wake up after five more minutes, he sat watching her.

MEET THE AUTHOR


Rosemary Anthony writes suspense fiction with a twist. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Science Malaysia and recently made the jump from writing official documents to writing fiction novels. Blessed with 17 nephews and nieces, she finds the world of young adults to be a thrilling source of inspiration for her books.

Rosemary lives in a small town in Malaysia and travels as often as possible to broaden her cultural horizon. You can find out more about her books, giveaways, and new releases on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsanthony.author/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r.s.anthony
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosebudmary
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15142449.R_S_Anthony

Her debut fiction Pork can be found at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

35 comments:

  1. Thanks, Goddess Fish Promotions and Judith. I'm so excited to start this my very first blog tour :) So, if you have any questions, fire away and I'll try and answer them

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  2. Congrats on the new book and good luck on the book tour!

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  3. Looks like an interesting book ;)

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  4. If you could cast your characters in the Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play your characters?

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    1. Hmmm... Stevie would be Asa Butterfield, Pork - Joey King. Strangely, I kept seeing Jon Gries playing Fenton from the time I started writing this book :)

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  5. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and, if so, how do you overcome it?

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    1. Yes I do, more than I'd like to admit :) I find it's better to plow through with the storytelling even if it's a pile of nothing I'm heaping on the pages. I usually get stuck on very specific sections so, as long as I can get past it into the next scene/section, I'm safe. I can always go back and clean it up during the editing process (which explains why I use more time editing than writing). After writing 5 books now, I think that's what works best for me. I know I should never stop writing when facing a wall or that'd be the end of it :)

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  6. sounds like a fun one!

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  8. sounds like a very good book, I enjoyed the excerpt.

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  9. I have already read the book...and...What a fine book this one is! Easy to get along, friendly words (I'm not a native speaker), amazing characters (I love Pork)...(And Sandy). It's indeed a page turner and it's difficult to let go once you finish it. Cant wait to see more from R. S. Anthony.

    PS:. She is so cute! ( I know it has nothing to do with the book, but ... just saying it :D)

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  10. Thanks, Orange Léo. Always nice to hear from someone who has already read and enjoyed the book. Appreciate you leaving a comment :) Wishing you and everyone else participating in the draw good luck!

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  11. I liked the excerpt, thank you.

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  12. Happy Memorial Day and saying thank you to all our military men and women who served our country and paid the ultimate sacrifice. God Bless our Military men and women and their families.
    Thanks for this opportunity to win this giveaway

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  13. Thanks for the giveaway; I like the excerpt. :)

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  14. This would be a great summer read.

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  15. What comes first for you--the story or the characters?

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    1. Wow! This one's a toughie- they're so closely linked :) But for me I think it's the story.

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  16. Great blurb, sounds like a book I would like to read and I love the cover! Thanks for sharing :)

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  17. Enjoyed the excerpt, sounds like a great book. Entering under the name of Virginia

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  18. Enjoyed the excerpt, sounds like a great book. Entering under the name of Virginia

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  19. Sounds like a great read, thank you for sharing!

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  20. I want to know what is in the woods. Intriguing.

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