EXCERPT ~ TELEPHONE ROAD

Stalked, assaulted, and left for dead, Marlena thinks her life is over. Then she meets Destiny and they decide to take matters into their own hands. For these two, justice has a new meaning. 

It's called revenge.

 

 

Chapter One: Twenty-Three Steps

 

            When I walked into the long narrow art gallery behind my roommate, Joanna, it felt as if I were being funneled toward him. Preston Stevensen. Perfect hair and a smirk for a smile, he appeared to be the man of the hour. Even gazing at me over the head of a ponytailed patron in a slick, yellow shirt, he somehow made me feel like the center of attention.

            Twenty-three steps. 

            His eyes were on me the whole way.

            My name is Marlena Matthews. Joanna calls me Marlena “Miss Priss” Matthews. She thinks I’ve led a sheltered small-town life and she’s right. That’s why I felt so fortunate to be accidentally paired with her my freshman year. We were both serious students.

            Joanna’s friend, Antonio, is the one who invited us to the Visual Arts Gallery. He had several pieces of his beautiful high-glaze pottery on display.

            But nothing compared to Preston’s art. It took up the entire back wall. Every piece featured some sort of wide-slashed mouth or other wide-open gash. Some of the mouths were created from melted red lipstick and some were splash-painted on canvas; a couple were fashioned of metal, then shellacked onto blank mannequin faces made of charred or broken plastic. I overheard a girl walking ahead of us refer to the mouths as Freudian. “Yeah,” her companion snickered. “All about sex. Weird sex." They both laughed behind their hands.

            Twenty-three steps. Each one carried me closer and closer to the guy who would change my entire life. In hindsight it seems obvious that Preston’s art should have been a big red flag. But Joanna didn’t call me Miss Priss, The Sheltered One, for nothing.

 

http://www.5Princebooks.com/annswann.html

TELEPHONE ROAD ~ Revenge Fiction

Available for Preorder Now through Aug. 4th

Stalked, assaulted, and left for dead, Marlena thinks her life is over. Then she meets Destiny and they decide to take matters into their own hands. For these two, justice has a new meaning. It's called revenge.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Telephone-Road-Ann-Swann-ebook/dp/B08C9WTPR3

iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/telephone-road/id1521929421 

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1030842

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/telephone-road-ann-swann/1137285312?ean=2940163015979

Excerpt:

  

The remains of the sunset reflecting across the rippling water drew me to lean down and dip my fingers into the cold, bubbling flow. The sounds lent a storybook feel to the scene. The air was cool and still, fragrant with the loamy, nose-tickling scent of damp earth and fresh water. Multicolored leaves and drifts of pine needles carpeted the ground, softening our steps and turning the whole area into a painter’s fall palette.

I sat cross-legged on the plaid blanket he’d spread. “This is kind of amazing,” I admitted around a mouthful of pizza. “How’d you find it?” 

            Preston looked into the distance. “I spend a lot of time in the woods,” he said. “It’s my refuge. I just needed you to share it with me.” 

            He looked at me and I knew, suddenly and without a shred of doubt, that I had made a huge mistake. His light blue eyes had gone as cold as the water in the creek. 

            I tried not to panic, tried to keep my suspicions in check, but alarm bells clanged inside my head. “It’s really beautiful,” I said. “Thank you for sharing it with me.” I put one hand down to push myself to my feet. “Now I’ve really got to get bac—”

            He grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to remain seated on the blanket. For a moment, I had a ridiculous hope that he was playing, roughhousing the way Jim and I had done. But when he held me there, when his other hand clamped down on my opposite shoulder, when he smashed me backward onto the remains of the pizza, I knew this was no game.

            “Stop!” I cried. “What are you—?”

            His face came closer and closer, his lips questing. 

            I jerked my head from side to side. “Preston, stop! What’re you doing?” 

            His weight pinned me to the blanket, his hard chin dug into the side of my neck. He tried to hold my face still without using his hands.

            “I love you.” His voice had gone as hard and cold as his eyes. “I know you love me, too. I don’t know why you won’t show it.” 

            His lips found mine and he let go of my right shoulder long enough to tangle his fingers into my hair.

            My head was trapped. Anger crashed through my body. I jerked my head aside to get his mouth off mine. Strands of my hair were ripped out of my scalp, but suddenly my hands were fighting, clawing, raking at his face, his clothing, his skin. Anything to get him off me. 

            He tightened his grip on my hair, but his other hand came up holding the campfire lighter. Just as he depressed the trigger to ignite it, my right hand found the wine bottle lying on its side. I wrapped my fingers around the neck of the bottle and swung it through the air, smashing it into the side of his head with as much force as I could muster.

Amazon says YEAH, BUT I DIDN'T is a Hot New Release!

Wow! I kinda like that post title - my little novel is #7 on their Hot New Releases list. I can totally get on board with that.

I'm liking these early reviews, too. And to celebrate, head over to my other website and sign up for my Reader's List if you'd like a chance to win a hardcover copy, or if you just want to keep up with me. I've got two more new releases on the horizon. https://www.authorannswann.com 

K.C. Finn 

Review Rating: 5 Stars 

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Yeah, But I Didn’t is a work of teen fiction in the drama and coming of age genres, and was penned by author Ann Swann. Written with a mild caution for scenes of violence and an attempted sexual assault, the central plot focuses on the harrowing experiences of fourteen-year-old Benji Stevens. Falling into circumstances of emotional and physical trauma, a heart-breaking betrayal and a loss of faith in life, love, herself and everyone around her, it will take a real miracle for her to rise up again and be happy.

Author Ann Swann delivers a harrowing emotional tale that offers messages of hope and renewal of spirit despite some of the darkest times that life can throw at us. Suitable for teens and adults alike, one of the most accomplished things about the novel is how authentic teenage Benji is in her thoughts, weaknesses, actions, but also in her strength and growth later on. This is a highly realistic portrayal of the devastating effects that dark interventions can have on young, fragile minds, but also an admiration of the strength and power of regrowth that young people can have too. Overall, it sends a strong, hopeful message through highly relatable characters and a well-constructed narrative of support from all around. Yeah, But I Didn’t is an emotionally compelling and genuinely helpful work of fiction to create talking points for teens and adults everywhere.

Yeah, But I Didn't - Cover Reveal

Ta-dah! Here is the amazing Wordcrafts cover for my new semi-autobiographical novel, Yeah, But I Didn't. Comment below to be entered into a special giveaway. The book will be available beginning November 20, 2019 at all major retail outlets.