Thursday, January 3, 2013

Happy Release Day: Grave Intentions





This morning I woke to a pleasant surprise. My book preorder had arrived for my kindle, waiting to be read. I'm so happy to announce the release day for my friend Lori Sjoberg's, Grave Intentions. I had the privilege of reading a bit of this during an AQC Speculative fiction feedback marathon, and I know I'm in for a treat. Now here's your chance to share the treat from Lori herself:

Thanks so much, Michelle, for helping me celebrate the release of Grave Intentions! (And I'm so looking forward to celebrating the upcoming release of Kindar's Cure as well!) To mark the occasion, I'm giving away a free copy via amazon or B&N (winner's choice). All you have to do is leave a comment below about your favorite read of 2012. Good luck!


Edit: The contest will end on January 8th.


Grave Intentions:


He’s handsome, reliable, and punctual—the perfect gentleman when you want him to be. But this dream man is Death’s best agent—and now he’s got more than his soul to lose…


One act of mercy before dying was all it took to turn soldier David Anderson into a reaper—an immortal who guides souls-of-untimely-death into the afterlife. But the closer he gets to atoning for his mortal sin and finally escaping merciless Fate, the more he feels his own humanity slipping away for good. Until he encounters Sarah Griffith. This skeptical scientist can’t be influenced by his powers—even though she has an unsuspected talent for sensing the dead. And her honesty and irreverent sense of humor reignite his reason for living—and a passion he can’t afford to feel. Now Fate has summoned David to make a devastating last harvest. And he’ll break every hellishly-strict netherworld rule to save Sarah…and gamble on a choice even an immortal can’t win.

Excerpt:

Death never took a holiday.


No, Death was the consummate workaholic, more steadfast and diligent than the U.S. Postal Service. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stayed the agents of Death from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Always the professional, Death never discriminated, taking young and old, weak and strong, healthy and infirm. It couldn’t be bought, or bullied, or reasoned with. Death had a mission and come Hell or high water, it would be accomplished.

For David Anderson, today was an easy day. As one of Death’s more seasoned agents, he’d been given the task of training the newest inductee in the tools of the trade. And with only two terminations on the day’s docket, it wouldn’t take too long to drink the memories away.

He looked down, checking his watch. Shit. Time to move. He gulped the last of his soda then crumpled the can and tossed it in the trashcan near the curb.

“Let’s roll,” he told Adam Javorski, his latest trainee. He gave a slight nod to the left before sliding on a pair of dark tinted sunglasses. “We’re due for our appointment.”

“Appointment?” Adam asked, looking confused. Then the light bulb went off in his head. “Oh. Yeah, right. Appointment.”

David’s gaze slanted over to his apprentice. The kid looked bright enough. Tall and rangy, with sharp brown eyes and distinctive Eastern European features, he had the look of a man always on the watch for trouble. Which made sense. He’d been a cop in his mortal life, fiercely dedicated to protecting and serving. Well, up until his last assignment, which is what led to his current situation.

“So when’s this going down?” Adam asked with a youthful exuberance, and David let out a mental groan.

Newbies. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever been that green. Stopping at the bustling intersection, he closed his eyes and focused inward, tuning out the sounds of early rush hour in downtown Orlando. “Not for another seven or eight minutes,” he said, homing in on the low-grade buzz pulsing through his veins. The vibration was barely distinguishable, but nevertheless, it was there.

“How do you know?”

“I can feel it.” When the light changed, they crossed over to Washington. The last thing David wanted was to be late so he picked up the pace, moving around a homeless man camped out on the sidewalk, a foul odor radiating from the overflowing shopping cart holding all of his worldly possessions.

Adam glanced over at him, a bewildered expression on his face. “You can feel death?”

“Of course.” Then he remembered mortals couldn’t feel death, couldn’t scent mortality like a bloodhound. He cursed under his breath. It had been so damn long since he’d drawn mortal breath he was beginning to forget the little things. Or was it more of a choice? He suspected it was the latter.

“How?” Adam asked, intrigued. “What does it feel like?”

The pair cut through the park, paying no attention to the cluster of small children squealing with glee as they tossed chunks of bread to a trio of greedy mallards. They were close now; David could feel it. The buzzing had intensified, growing stronger and more insistent as it rumbled inexorably toward its macabre crescendo.

Deciding they had enough time for a quick lesson, David came to an abrupt halt at the edge of the park and Adam quickly followed suit. “Close your eyes,” he ordered his trainee.

“Why?”

Patience was never one of David’s strong points. He gritted his teeth and counted to ten. “Just close your eyes, dammit, I’m trying to teach you something.”

Adam shot him a guarded look but complied without further question or comment.

“Now quiet your mind. Ignore everything but the sound of my voice.”

After a few moments, Adam said, “Okay.”

“Do you notice a low hum in the background?”

“I thought you said to ignore everything but the sound of your voice.”

David let out a low growl before clamping down on his temper. “I did,” he said, jaw clenched. “But now I’m telling you to listen for the hum. Can you hear it or feel it?”

Adam stayed silent for what seemed like forever. Then his expression shifted to one of near wonder. “I feel it! It’s kind of like a low electrical current, right?”

For the first time in days, David smiled. The kid might not be a lost cause after all. “Yes. Very good. That’s what you need to focus on. The stronger the sensation, the closer you are to the point of death.”

He paused to scan the area, making sure no one noticed. Of course, he had nothing to worry about. People were such creatures of habit, scurrying about their daily lives, oblivious to the forces working around them. Tourists snapped pictures in front of the fountain while locals hurried along the sidewalk, eager to reach their destinations. A bus eased up to the curb and opened its doors, letting passengers off while others waited to board.

Adam opened his eyes. “How’s this going down?” he asked, his eyes scouring the scenery, searching for any traces of imminent doom.

“I have no idea,” David replied, leaning back against a weathered oak. He watched the bus pull away from the curb, spewing out a cloud of noxious exhaust as it merged into traffic. Out of habit, he checked the time again. Less than a minute.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Adam’s brows crinkled. “I thought you knew what was going to happen.”

David shook his head and felt a trickle of sweat run past his temple. So much for fall in Florida. Late October, and the temperatures were still cranked above ninety. “Nope. The docket only gives a place and approximate time.” He watched while Adam’s face scrunched up in obvious confusion. He vaguely remembered giving his handler the same expression when he was new, so he decided to fill in the blanks. “Look, if you really want to know the exact details ahead of time, you can request it. But from my experience, you’re better off knowing as little as possible.”

As far as he was concerned, the less he knew, the less he had to purge from his mind afterward. Just how many times had he stared into the face of death? To be honest, he’d lost count. Maybe that was for the best, too. In his six decades of harvesting souls, he’d witnessed every act of savagery known to man. First, he’d been shocked. Then revolted. Eventually, he’d gone numb. Now he viewed the world through the jaded eyes of an ambivalent spectator, always watching from a comfortable distance.

The sound of tires screeching jerked him from his thoughts. Like countless times before, familiar events unfolded. Horns blared, tires screeched, and metal crunched against metal in a twisted symphony. Somewhere in the distance, a woman screamed. And then everything grew quiet, leaving only the smell of burnt rubber and the faint whimper of the dying. 

Time to get to work.

Lori's contact info is: www.lorisjoberg.com
www.facebook.com/AuthorLoriSjoberg
@Lori_Sjoberg (Twitter).

10 comments:

  1. Congratulations Lori!!! I LOVE the cover and the premise. It looks like a very fun read.

    Favourite read of 2012? Hmmm... hard question! You know what? I think it might actually be one of my daughter's books. I'm going to go with "Drama" by Raina Telegmeier. (Also her book "Smile." My daughter has completely dog-eared these graphic novels!) The story has an awesome message, great dialogue and fabulous illustrations. Of course there are other great reads, too. But this author stands out because of the way both my daughter and I loved the books and the way they reached my daughter.

    Happy 2013!

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  2. Wow, I read the excerpt and I want a copy! Sooooooo exciting!

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  3. Whoops, forgot to mention what my favorite read of 2012 was. I believe The Hunger Games trilogy took that place. Those were really good.

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  4. CONGRATS Lori! I can't wait to read Grave Intentions. It sounds fabulous.
    My favorite read of 2012...that's a hard one. But if I have to pick only one, it would be Jill Shalvis' Head over Heels.

    Best of luck on your release. Wishing you mega sales!
    ~k

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  5. Good stuff Lori! Congratulations! I really enjoyed this excerpt and wish you success.

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  6. Yay Lori!!! Oh, man, do I want a free copy of this. Favorite read of 2012? Probably Patrick Ness's exquisite A MONSTER CALLS. Just amazing.

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  7. Love the excerpt, Lori. Everybody seemed like a possible victim.

    Favorite read of 2012? Had to be Godel, Escher, Bach, which is one of those books I've been saying I should read since college and I finally picked up. May not count since it's non-fiction, so I'll throw in my top fiction read, too. Cryptonomicon -- a book I nearly didn't finish and complained about at every turn of the page-- wooden characters, wandering plot, terrible ending -- but which I keep thinking about despite myself.

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  8. Congratulations Lori!!!! Enjoy your day! I'm doing my happy dance for you!

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  9. Yay Lori!!! Congrats! :)
    My favourite reads from 2012 were crit buddy books :)

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  10. congrats Lori! Placing on my TBR list.

    Favorite read? Oh geez, I read so many good ones this year. But have to say, the as yet to be published "Princess Paradox" by Carey Torgenson.

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