Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Straight Chatting from the Library: Merry Freer


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Merry will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banners to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE INTERVIEW


What is the favorite book you remember as a child?

It was a science fiction book called The Big Eye. It belonged to my parents and I was so mesmerized by it that I read it over and over again. The premise was that all of the scientists of the world had discovered that a comet was hurtling toward earth and would collide with our planet on Christmas Day in two years, blasting it to smithereens. The story was about how a few individuals (the main characters) and the people of the entire earth dealt with this knowledge. It was fascinating. I won’t spoil the end in case anyone wants to pick up an old, used copy on Amazon for a couple of bucks (like I did).

What is your favorite book today?

Sorry – two favorites. One is a blast from the past – The Seven Minutes by Irving Wallace. He is an incredible storyteller and a master at trivia which is why his books are so long. The second is Stephen King’s The Stand – another great storyteller.

Tell us about your current book in 10 words.

An atheist tries to save his wife from a demon.

What are you reading right now?

“The Memory Closet” by Ninie Hammon.

What books do you have on hold at the library?

I have to say that I’ve become spoiled by my Kindle app on my IPad. But if I did have a book on hold, it would be Where I Lost Her by T. Greenwood, which is my next read.

Do you have any bad book habits?

I am frequently reading more than one book at a time and I have mixed up characters or plotline between books more than once.

E-Reader or print? and why?

Most books are less expensive in E-Reader form. Also, the local public library near my home is small and usually has a long waiting list to get a book and I am impatient. Also, independent books have become so sophisticated that they are frequently my choice and many of them are not available in print.

Dog-ear or bookmark? (don't worry—Librarian Judith won't hold it against you—much)

Those times I do read a print book I wrap a rubber band around the page I’m on.

Least favorite book you've read this year?

I feel uncomfortable naming names because I would hate to find myself on another person’s list, but let’s just say my biggest disappointment was a book written by one of my writing heroes whose writing for television did not translate well to print.

Favorite book you've read this year?

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

READ THE BLURB


Drew Collins experiences the world in black and white. As an educated man of science, he rejects belief in the paranormal and the existence of demons. Until an evil energy he calls "The Beast" repeatedly enters his bedroom at night and takes possession of his wife's body.

What he witnesses at night in his own bedroom cannot be reconciled with science. And yet he sees it with his own eyes, feels its presence, ominous and evil, with his entire being.

Against every instinct, Drew reaches out for help. It is not just his marriage that’s at stake. The evil force has invaded his wife's family, tearing them apart and culminating in bloodshed and murder. Drew must face a stark choice: sacrifice his belief that the world is a rational place and fight an entity he doesn’t understand and is reluctant to label, or abandon his wife and her family.

Author's Note to the Reader: Sadly, the most frightening and brutal events in this book are factual. The story is loosely based on one family's experience with multiple tragedies, some of them "ripped from the headlines." It is also an excruciatingly factual account of one man's experience with a loved one who is possessed by a demonic presence. However, it transcends genre and is as much a tale of romance, of cultural barriers, of abuse, and of family drama, as it is of demonic possession.The link between the introduction of an evil spirit and the heartbreaking misfortunes that are visited on the family is left for the reader to decide.

READ AN EXCERPT


It was 3:00am, though Drew didn’t notice the time. He was startled into a state of complete consciousness by a feeling of intense dread and fear. Had he been sleeping? Had the feeling returned because he let go – drifted off and let down his guard? Terror ripped through him when he sensed a malevolent force above him. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Even in the pitch darkness of the room, he could see that a dark silhouette straddled him, standing upright, and as he recognized the form, he knew, with a lightning fast certainty he didn’t yet understand, that it only appeared to be his Adriana, her body inhabited by the evil force, her spirit squeezed from her helpless body and now possessed by whatever energy had terrorized them. He brought his eyes to meet those of the adversary that stood above him, silently begging to find recognition, but its black, dead eyes rolled back in their sockets and he realized instantly, as though by telepathy, that it intended to attack him...to fall on him! The form became completely rigid, falling straight forward like a stone slab toward his prone body, with no regard to how it might land. He let out a scream of primal fear that came from the depths of his being. Some kind of demonic beast was hurtling toward him and, throwing up his arms and hands to protect himself from its fall, he instinctively pushed at the foreign creature and threw it from his body, his hands burning with the contact. The creature’s head took the force of the fall, cracking into the heavy nightstand beside the bed.

Sitting up in the bed, shaking, perspiration dripping from his pores, he reached for the lamp on the nightstand and reluctantly turned the switch, terrified of what he might find, knowing he had no choice.

On the floor beside the table lay Adriana, his wife, in a fetal position, holding the back of her head, crying and confused. Drew climbed from the bed, taking her in his arms.

“What happened to me?” she whimpered, still rubbing the growing bump on her head.

“You don’t remember anything?” Drew whispered, carrying her limp body back to the bed.

“I think I hurt my head,” she said.

“You climbed over me to turn on the light and you fell,” Drew lied.

MEET THE AUTHOR


Merry Freer is an author of memoir and fact-based fiction. “Special Levels of Earthly Hell: The Story of One Family’s Chilling Struggle with Demonic Possession” was inspired by actual events that were experienced by her nuclear and extended families, tearing relationships apart and making national news headlines. This book comes on the heels of her first book, a memoir named “Doctor, Doctor.” While "Doctor, Doctor" is her debut novel, she has been a writer and editor for many years, including work with the San Diego Chargers and the San Diego Hall of Champions. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from San Diego State University and has been a featured speaker for classes dealing with medical ethics.

Her controversial memoir, "Doctor, Doctor," topped the Best Seller List in True Crime/White Collar Crime for 10 months and received a "Best Books of 2014" award from "Suspense Magazine."

Visit her Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/mfreerauthor

Buy the book at Amazon.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway

10 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for featuring my book, "Special Levels of Earthly Hell." I'll chexk in during the day to answer any questions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congrats on the tour; I enjoyed reading the excerpt :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm back and thanking you once again for the opportunity at winning your great giveaway

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post - I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What draws you to this genre?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Becky,......To be perfectly honest I am not particularly drawn to this genre. I wrote the story because of events that happened to members of my own family, some of them horrific. Because it's "real" I think readers of the paranormal will find it doubly interesting.

      Delete
  6. This sounds like an interesting read. Entering under the name of Virginia

    ReplyDelete
  7. Shared on G+, have a great day!

    ReplyDelete