Ensuing Darkness
The Dark Chronicles: Book 1
by Sabrina Giles
Blurb:
Kota's hometown is harboring more secrets than she ever imagined.
Hunting, partying, and hanging with the guys has made up the most of her frustratingly simple life, and she's looking hard for something else. Something new. Unfortunately for her, she gets her wish senior year when a family of dancers comes Waltzing into her life.
Unbeknownst to Kota however, the Peters are hiding dark secrets and a dark past that's still chasing them. Their dangerous mission needs to go perfectly, but when the twins get mixed up in a taboo romance with Kota and her best friend Sue, things get nasty for everyone.
Driven by her inexhaustible curiosity and the disturbing effect the Peters have on her, Kota starts pushing her way towards the truth without hesitation. All at once, she's surrounded by everything she never knew existed, and now more than just her life is in danger.
Excerpt:
"Kota, I'm begging you, stop right now before something bad happens. Before you get hurt." On these last words, I had to stop. That was too close to what was really going on and I was suddenly on guard. Does he know their secret too? How?
"Louis, what exactly are you talking about?" I was nervous and scared. If he knew, they were in big trouble, but if he didn't know, I didn't want to give away anything that would make him suspect. "How do you think they're going to hurt me?"
"Kota, listen," he said, turning to completely face me now. "I've known people like them and they never do any good. These people are different in a bad way, and you may not see it truly now, but trust me, you will soon. Something will happen."
"What if you're wrong? What if they're just different and they do do good?"
"If they're just different, then they're still drifters, and that means that what you and Connelly have isn't going to last. He's going to leave, and then you'll be left. Hurt." He sat up straighter now and added, "Either way you look at it, you're gonna end up hurt if you stay with them ? Either physically or emotionally."
I was trying to ignore how much his words hit me, and part of me thought I was getting so mad because I didn't want them to be true. I couldn't back down though, not now. I was too deep into it now to quit. I knew too much, and even though it had become dangerous, I was going to have to stick it out. I couldn't let them down. "Then who should I be with? You?"
He looked surprised for a minute and then shrugged, saying, "Well, you know, I've always _"
"That's just the problem," I interrupted. "Instead of just being a friend, you're acting out of jealousy because you want me to be with you."
"Kota, that's not what I meant, and you know it."
"How do I know for sure?"
"You know me, that's how! I'm your best friend!"
"If you were really doing this all along just to get with me, then you weren't really a friend at all." The words were out before I could stop them and I bit my tongue. We both looked surprised and his face changed from being angry to being extremely hurt.
An Interview with Sabrina Giles:
What inspired you to write Ensuing Darkness?
This book has gone through so many evolutions; it's hard to say exactly what inspired me. I'd felt that several books I'd been reading at the time to be missing something in one way or another, and decided to see what kind of story I would get if I put all of those missing pieces together. The Dark Chronicles was born.
When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?
6th grade. First, I was assigned to write a short-story for a class project and was surprised by how much fun it was. I aced the project and continued building on the short-story until it was a full-fledged book. Then when we were taking our end-of-the-year exams, I was one of only five students to receive the highest mark on our essays. That's what really got my attention and proved to me that I might just have a knack for this writing thing. ;)
What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?
The clearest memory of me reading is in 1st grade when I started in on our library's non-fiction section, plowing through all of their books on animals and nature. I was a few books shy of reading all they had in my reading level before we moved to a new school with a much bigger selection. I didn't read my first real fiction book (other than the usual children's books) until much later.
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
As always, I love non-fiction. In Fiction, I have always tended to stay within the YA/Upper YA genre, and have recently started looking into the New Adult and a few Adult novels. I love reading anything Fantasy, Paranormal Romance/Paranormal Fantasy, Thriller/Horror (I have to be careful with these because I'm a bit of a scared-y cat), General Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Chick-Lit, etc. There's more, but I'm sure you get the idea. ;)
What is your favorite book?
That seems to change depending on what books I'm reading at any given time. Right now? I'd have to say "The Gameboard of the Gods" by Richelle Meade, "Dorothy Must Die" by Danielle Paige, and "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kustova.
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
Haha, I've been asked this before, and I really don't think I have one. Truly. I do have authors I love enough that I would pretty much buy any book they put out, and I have authors that I like for themselves as well as their books, but no one author sticks out above the rest as my ultimate favorite. To me, that's like asking someone to choose which best friend they prefer the most. I can't do it.
If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?
The 90's, because things were much simpler back then, and I miss it.
When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?
Usually, it does come easy for me, but not always. Sometimes I wrestle with an idea or concept, a character won't fit the mold, or I'm flip-flopping between one or more ways the book could go without a leading on which way would be best. The latter is by far my most common problem.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
I do! I have a Boxer named Hera and a poofy black cat named Grimm.
What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?
Fried Chicken/Chicken Fried Steak/Steak/Ribs, mashed potatoes & gravy/french fries, green beans & corn. Then for dessert there's peach cobbler or apple pie. Haha, I'm from Texas.
Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?
Don't get in a hurry to hit the big time, because it doesn't happen that fast. DO NOT stop reading, even when you're writing your books. Focus on getting to know other authors/book bloggers in your same genre(s), building a network of friends that help each other out. HELP OTHERS AND DON'T BE SELFISH. Don't just sit there and wait for people to come to you, to find you, because that doesn't work. Get out there and let yourself be heard and seen. Don't be afraid to ask for help or advice, but again don't be selfish and only ask for help without ever giving any help to others in return. Be careful when asking for beta readers, and try to find some whom you can trust. Make sure to get your work professionally edited, proofread, formatted, and get a professional cover. Lastly, have fun and enjoy what you do, no matter what anyone says. I'm giving all this advice based on personal experience.
Thank you for having me, Nancy!
About the Author:
Sabrina Giles was born during a storm, in a room with no windows and no electricity. She used to hate reading fiction so much her mother made it a punishment, and then suddenly something clicked. Now she can't stop writing it.
Ensuing Darkness is the first in her series The Dark Chronicles. She's persistently working on its sequel, as well as a couple other projects you might see popping up soon.
When she's not writing, she can be found spending time with her husband, being crafty or making tasty messes in the kitchen.
She & her husband currently live in Illinois with a boxer, a fat cat, and are expecting their first child.
Giveaway:
Win an ebook or a signed paperback of Ensuing Darkness, and rack card bookmarks (U.S. only).