Tuesday, July 9, 2013

GHOST STORY GIVEAW*Y! July 9 - 13, Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot!

That's right, Book One of The Phantom Series, Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot, is FREE July 9 - 13. Just a little something to introduce you to the series because Book Three, Stevie-girl and The Phantom of Crybaby Bridge has just been released.  All three books are appropriate for ages 10 to 110 (my youngest reader is 11, the eldest is 90) although some scenes may be too frightening for younger readers.

Here is a snippet from each book (my hubby's favorite is Book Two...I'm not sure why):

Book One, Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot (FREE) http://tinyurl.com/crr5kry :

Jase is Stevie's new best friend.  This scene takes place after the small plane crashed behind Jase's house and he encountered the silver-haired pilot.  Then his dog, Lady, disappeared and now Jase is in his father's ranch truck, looking for her.


            I put the gearshift into drive and eased my foot off the brake. I couldn’t go home without my girl. I drove slowly forward, circling the crash site, hoping for another glimpse of her familiar, loopy gait.
            Instead, what I saw was the sullen glint of moonlight on silver as she led him away, across the darkest shadows of the field.  


Book Two, Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student: 

In this scene, Stevie is getting ready for school while thinking about a nightmare she had the night before.


             It was beginning to really freak me out, this feeling that the person in the mirror was someone else standing in another bathroom that was almost, but not quite, the exact opposite of mine.  I closed my eyes and began to pull the brush through my hair.
            When I opened my eyes, I almost screamed.  The reflection in the mirror was looking away from me.  It was looking toward the door.
            My flesh tried to crawl off my bones.

Book Three, Stevie-girl and the Phantom of Crybaby Bridge:
In this scene, Stevie and Jase visit the bridge for the second time...
            The bridge was ghostly in the last light of day.  The far end was shrouded in woodsy darkness and the sound of the creek lapping at the thick support posts was very clear in the quiet early eve. 

            We stepped onto the bridge cautiously, gauging the strength of the slats with each careful step.  When we got to the middle, we stood side-by-side looking down over the railing, watching the path of the waning light on the crinkly water as it bounced over the rocks.  A cool breeze tickled our arms.  A night bird called in the distance, and the smell of the clear-running creek reminded me of spring rain.
            “Do you think that was really a baby crying?” I murmured.
            Jase shrugged.  “I figure there’s probably just a loon nearby or something.  I’ve heard loons can sound like a person crying.”
            I shivered and moved closer to his tall form.  “I hope we don’t—”        
           “Waahhhmaahhh.”  The sound whispered toward us like an invisible firework.


Afterthought: Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you had a chance to grab your ghost story...reviews are always welcome!

Saturday, July 6, 2013

#WeWriWa Excerpt from Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student



Hey, Everyone, 
Welcome back to another excerpt from my Phantom series. This time it's from the 2nd book in the series, Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student.  I'm giving you the foreword because I think it explains a lot about the time period and the set up.  The only thing it doesn't mention is the phantom student herself!  
NEXT WEEK, JULY 9TH - 13TH, the first book in the series, Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot, will be FREE on Amazon http://tinyurl.com/crr5kry

 Below is the foreword from Book Two, which serves as my excerpt today.  It is in Stevie's POV and yes, Victoria, there really is Creative Punctuation:
  Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student
©Ann Swann

Book Two of
The Phantom Series

            This book is dedicated to all those students who walk the halls like phantoms, hoping their differences truly are invisible.
  
             To us, 1970 was a time of beginnings, but to the country, it was a time of endings. National Guardsmen ended the lives of four students at Kent State College; one hundred thousand marched on Washington to end the war in Vietnam; and in England, Paul McCartney announced the end of The Beatles.  It was also the year Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin both ended their lives through drug overdoses.  It felt as if the whole world was in turmoil.
            Our homeroom teacher said not to let the weight of the world stop us from being open to new experiences.  In fact, she said it was more important than ever that we should be open-minded.  I wondered if she’d gone radical on us; for a moment, I thought she might pick up a sign and start chanting.
            Come to find out, she was simply prepping us for a new addition to our class at Crossroads Junior High; his name was Derol Pavey and he had something called Tourette syndrome. 

Okay, folks, that's all from me, today.  But hop on over to the Weekend Writing Warrior's Website  http://www.wewriwa.com and catch up with a bunch of awesome authors~and don't forget to pick up your Kindle Copy of Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot starting July 9-13 FREE!  

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy Independence Day America! How about a World War Z review to celebrate?



'Tis the 4th of July,
Dude is heating up the grill for ribs, burgers, and hotdogs.  And when it gets dark we'll set off some fireworks with the grandkids . . . it's going to be a great day.

And what could be more American than Zombies?  That's right.  I'm talking about World War Z, the Brad Pitt movie that proves he's still got it.  Oh what?  You wanted to hear about the super-charged zombies who move as if they are on speed?  Well, okay, maybe later, but right now we've got to get Brad out of the way.  Yep.  Loved him in Thelma & Louise, Legends of the Fall, and A River Runs Through It.  Now, WWZ.  Okay, okay, you're right.  I'm just a sucker for a zombie face.  No, not his.  He isn't a zombie--he's the hero!  That's not a spoiler is it?

Okay, long story short, I loved it.  So did Dude.  Max Brooks wrote a heckuva cool story, and as you know, if you've read my reviews before, I take my pillow and blankie to the Drive-In (our fave movie venue) and if the flick is boring, I take a nap. . .  

Didn't have to worry about that with WWZ.  I didn't even think to get my pillow out.  Didn't have time.  From the very first scene, the action just rolled along the way it should.  No shambling undead here, these suckers went through the change within seconds of being infected and then it was Katie-bar-the-frickin-door, literally!  Yeehaw.  I think I just may have to go see this one again.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 Independence Day stars!

Afterthought:  Thank the good Lord that Dude's back is healed so that we can sit through movies again.  Those herniated discs are murder on our viewing pleasure!