Bleeding Hearts (Book #1)
by Dana Louise Provo
Publication Date: August 25, 2016
Publisher: Clean Reads
Orphaned at an early age, now
twenty-four-year-old Camryn Lucks is ready to commit to find that special
someone, and so accepts a date from a charming, gallant, handsome stranger. The
last thing she imagines after accepting that first date with Carson would
actually be the beginning of her worst nightmare.
Red roses, a reminder of her
parents' killer, soon become an emblem of horror for Cami as one by one, those
closest to her fall victim to a serial killer. Cami becomes an obsession for
Carson, the man she had finally allowed herself to love. Not only is he vying
for her heart, but also her life.
Finding herself in a
whirlwind of torments shadowed by the blood-colored bloom, Cami finds solace in
Isaac, a neighboring police officer. She’s desperate to escape the haunting
memories, but she must revisit them in order to catch her would-be killer.
Living life in constant fear has driven Cami to second-guess every choice she
makes. Will the police catch the illusive murderer, or will Cami be forced to
face him once again?
Excerpt:
My
arm trembles as I grip the cool handle of my pistol, keeping a firm grasp to
ensure it doesn’t slip out of my sweaty hand. It usually stands sentry in my
left nightstand to scare the nightmares away. But this isn’t a dream. The room
is dark and hides the face of the man whose intent is to kill me. But I know
who he is. A metallic taste fills my mouth; I want to gag. My blood drips off
the blade in his hand in slow, steady beats on the carpet. My arms shake as I
lift the barrel and point it in his direction. He doesn't move. His heavy
breaths alert me to the meager distance between us.
We’re
at a stalemate.
A
soft glow from the lamppost just outside my window casts a sliver of light on
his face. His dark, beady eyes that I have grown to know rake over my body like
I'm another one of his many victims. He lifts the edges of his mouth into a
smile. My heart plunges into my stomach. I know what that sinister expression
means, and I think back to all the times he had looked at me like that before.
I had been so blind.
Before
I react he lunges at me, grabbing onto my waist and twisting me to the ground.
I shriek as my head slams against the bed frame. Black spots flood my vision. I
squeeze my hand only to find it empty. My gun is gone. The sound of the knife
clattering on the floor gives me slight hope. Not much though. He climbs up my
body trying to pin my arms to the floor. I thrash my fists around, desperate to
knock him off.
“Get
off!” I scream, pulling on his shirt and kicking him off balance. Wrapping his
hands around my arms, my attacker cuts off the circulation of blood. Rug burns
flare across my skin as he drags me across the carpet. He closes his hands
around my neck, shutting off my air supply. I pull at his hands but it's no
use; he has always been stronger than me. My pulse drums a frantic beat in my
ears. The air slowly leaks out from my lungs, killing any hope I may have left.
I search for the gun around the room; it may be my only savior now.
"Why
are you doing this?" I struggle to get the words out. He squints his dark
eyes. I'm wondering if there might be a chance that he will stop this madness. I
am wrong.
"It'll
be over soon, sweetheart." His hands again tighten around my neck,
blocking the air from entering my lungs.
Author Interview:
What inspired you to write Bleeding Hearts?
My
inspiration came from when I moved into my new home. I live in Cami’s apartment
building in the book, though the name has changed. I wanted to write a story
with more than one timeline where the reader gets bounced from present day to
the past to reveal more twists and turns. After I moved in, and met my
neighbors, I built the story around them. The characters don’t necessarily
resemble their personalities, but I used them as inspiration.
When or at what
age did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I have always loved books and reading
even though parts of my life I didn’t read. About three years ago I knew I
wanted to be an author. I had begun writing and reading again and it felt so
good.
What is the
earliest age you remember reading your first book?
Elementary school, I used to read in
a lower level than my classmates. I loved reading the Amelia Belia books!
What genre of
books do you enjoy reading?
I’m a sucker for romance and enjoy
reading young adult books. But recently, after completing my first new adult
book, I started reading adult books. I also enjoy a good paranormal or
supernatural book!
What is your
favorite book?
The whole Shadow Falls series by C.C.
Hunter are my favorite. It’s a young adult supernatural series with an
abundance of romance side plots in it.
You know I
think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
C.C. Hunter has a great style of
writing. After discovering The Shadow Falls series and reading those books more
times than I can count, I consider Ms. Hunter my idol.
If you could
travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and
why?
The French Renaissance era is where I
would travel to. For one, it’s France; what’s not to love. And two, the renn
era fascinates me, from the clothing, to the royalty, to sports, and how they
lived.
When writing a
book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?
It depends on what I’m writing. BH
was really easy for me. It only took me two months to complete the first draft.
But the sequel is taking much longer than I expected, but I blame it on the
excitement of my first release!!
Do you have any
little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
Unfortunately the only living
creatures I have living in my home with me are my husband and my two
houseplants names Sprout and Thorn. I have two horses, Anna and Chloe that live
at a barn facility and are cared for like queens. One day I hope to get a
puppy, but for now I pet sit in my spare time to get my animal fixes.
What is your
"to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?
Definitely a veggie taco salad from
Qdoba. I’ve been eating way too many of those delicious salads recently! But I
can’t stop. They’re so good!!
Do you have any
advice for anyone that would like to be an author?
Don’t procrastinate. Have a plan.
After you’ve written and edited your book at least 5-6 times and don’t think
there’s anything you can possibly change to make it better, then you send it
out to agents and publishers. Make sure you know who you are querying to and
when you sent that scary email out. Don’t let time slip away and use it to your
advantage. Start on more books, keep reading, and have fun with your
imagination.
Dana Provo has always loved
books and reads everything from young adult fantasy to adult historical
romances. When she’s not reading or writing her next novel, Dana can be found
riding her horses and getting ready for competition. Dana lives with her husband
and two house plants in Richmond, Virginia.
Giveaway Information: Contest ends September 30, 2016
·
One (1) winner will receive a digital copy of Bleeding Hearts by Dana
Louise Provo (INT)
1 comments:
A great interview thank you.
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