Hello everyone!
Book Monster Reviews and LITERAL
ADDICTION are very happy to welcome the wonderful Shannon K. Butcher back to
our sites today to celebrate the release of the new EDGE novel, “Edge of
Sanity”!
As a little girl,
For those of you who might not know, Shannon ’s
husband is
Jim Butcher, fantasy and sci-fi author extraordinaire. Shannon
learned to write in an effort to help him improve his own work, and as soon as
she discovered that writing was more a learned skill than a natural talent, she
knew she had to give it a try. The
challenge of taking bits and pieces of a story and putting it together was more
than she could resist. It was actually
exactly the kind of puzzle that make her want to become an engineer. So, she thought she’d try her hand at what
her husband did, and after picking up her first romance in 1998, she was
hooked, and decided to write romance herself.
For those of you that are new to Shannon and her work, we highly suggest that you check
out her entire
backlist, but for today, we’ll give you the synopses
for the books in the EDGE series to
peak your interests a bit…
“Living on the
Edge”
Book #1
After
a devastating injury, Lucas Ramsay knows he's finished as a soldier.But when
the general who saved his life asks him for a favor, he says yes. All Lucas has
to do is keep the general's daughter from getting on a plane to
Independent
to the core, Sloane Gideon is a member of the Edge-a group of mercenaries for
hire. But she's not on the clock for this mission. Her best friend is being
held by a vicious drug lord, and Sloane must rescue her -- no matter how many
handsome ex-soldiers her father sends to dissuade her.
With
little choice, Lucas tracks Sloane to Colombia
Sound
good? Guess what, they are!! Now that we’ve told you a bit about Shannon and gave you her latest releases’ synopses, what
do you say we get to know her and her books even better?
"Razor's Edge”
Book #2
Roxanne
"Razor" Haught is an expert in stealth security for corporate
espionage cases. But now she's a target. Tanner O'Connell has no intentions of
leaving Razor's side. Despite her objections to having a
"babysitter", his orders as the newest member of the Edge are to
watch her back. With a brainwashed assassin after his partner, Tanner cannot
afford to let his desire for Razor interfere with his duty. His special ops
skills may be all that stand between saving Razor-or losing her forever.
“Edge
of Sanity”
Book #3
JUST RELEASED 12/4/12!
“I NEED TO KNOW IF ANYONE WAS KILLED LAST
NIGHT.”
In his years working for the private security firm The Edge, Clay Marshall has seen it all. But the recent blackouts he's been having are new. So is waking up with blood on his hands and clothes, with no memory of where the blood came from—or who he might have killed. He hates to admit it, but he needs help.
Dr. Leigh Vaughn has treated other Edge employees before, but from the moment she sees him for the first time, Clay strikes her as a special breed of man. She knows he’s dangerous, and distrustful of doctors, but she finds herself drawn to him even as his own steely exterior gives way to his growing desire for her.
Neither knows, however, that Clay is being used as a pawn in a larger experiment, and that his blackouts are only the first step toward a terrifying goal. And both Leigh and Clay will put themselves in harm’s way to stop an unseen enemy—and to save one another.
In his years working for the private security firm The Edge, Clay Marshall has seen it all. But the recent blackouts he's been having are new. So is waking up with blood on his hands and clothes, with no memory of where the blood came from—or who he might have killed. He hates to admit it, but he needs help.
Dr. Leigh Vaughn has treated other Edge employees before, but from the moment she sees him for the first time, Clay strikes her as a special breed of man. She knows he’s dangerous, and distrustful of doctors, but she finds herself drawn to him even as his own steely exterior gives way to his growing desire for her.
Neither knows, however, that Clay is being used as a pawn in a larger experiment, and that his blackouts are only the first step toward a terrifying goal. And both Leigh and Clay will put themselves in harm’s way to stop an unseen enemy—and to save one another.
They sound fantastic right!?
They are!
In celebration of the release
of “Edge of Sanity”, we let Shannon take over
the sites for the day. Let’s see what she had to say…
First I want to thank Literal Addiction and Book Monster reviews
for letting me come out and play today. It’s really great to be back again with
everyone!
I’m usually somewhat of a hermit, cozying up with my keyboard
and fuzzy white dog most days, but every once in a while, I have a great excuse
to step away from work. Today is one of those days. I’m really thrilled to be
chatting with you about books, writing, and my latest release, EDGE OF SANITY.
I always try to be careful not to give away any spoilers, but
what I can tell you without ruining the fun for anyone is that this book is by
far my favorite of the Edge series. It’s one of those stories that has been in
my head, dying to come out since this series was just a spark of an idea. I
really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. J
Chapter One
It was the blood that woke him.
Clay Marshall’s fingers were glued
together, sticky and itching where the blood had dried. The heavy, metallic
smell of it clogged his nose, choking him with the stench of violence.
He stared at his dirty hands, disoriented
and numb from shock. Fatigue dragged at his bones. Pain pounded deep inside his
skull, worse than any hangover.
The water stain on the ceiling was a
familiar comfort, telling him he was in his own bed. Now, if he could only
remember how he’d gotten here.
As the fog of sleep cleared, the meaning
of the blood began to take hold. Concern gnawed at the edges of his numb haze,
nibbling away at the false sense of calm. Reality squeezed around him, shoving
out his breath like a giant boa constrictor.
Clay sat up, trying to control the fear
before it became full-blown panic. His clothes were stiff and dark with drying
blood, as if someone had splashed a bucket of it down his front. He searched
for the source of the blood, seeking out the kind of physical pain this much
blood loss would create.
He ripped off his shirt and jeans only to
find the skin beneath whole. His sheets were stained, but there was no pool
lying where he’d been. Those smears were only from contact with his clothes.
Clay rushed to the bathroom on shaky legs
and peered into the full-length mirror on the back of the door. No cuts. No
gashes. Only a collage of bruises of varying ages and a body that was so thin
he barely recognized it.
The blood wasn’t his, and yet he could
find no relief in that knowledge. It had to belong to someone.
The need to scrub it away arose,
compelling him to stumble into the shower. Cold water hit him hard, driving
the air from his lungs before it slowly warmed. He lathered himself from head
to toe, watching in disgust as the rusty suds spiraled down the drain.
Even though the hot water stung, he still
felt detached from the world, as though he were covered by a thick layer of
foam, preventing anything from really reaching him. His head was clouded with
confusion— o much so that he was only just now realizing that he was confused.
He dried off and headed for his kitchen,
where the coffee lived. After three cups and twenty minutes, Clay’s brain
finally began to function. And with that relative clarity of thought came fear.
There were stains on his floor in the
shape of his boots, leading from the kitchen door all the way to his bedroom.
He followed them to where the bloody pile of clothes lay on the rug.
There was even more blood on them than
he’d imagined. So much, he knew someone had to be dead. The question was who?
And whether Clay had been the one to kill them.
A sick sense of dread settled over him,
making the coffee in his stomach churn.
He had no memories of last night; he
couldn’t remember anything since lunch yesterday. The sun was streaming in
through the windows, but as hard as he tried, there was simply a gaping black
hole where the missing time should have been, as if he’d been asleep since
then.
The blood proved otherwise.
Clay turned on the local news and barely
breathed as the anchor moved from one story to the next. He wasn’t sure what he
expected to hear—reports of a building collapse or a giant pileup on I- 5,
maybe—but he knew what he feared: murder.
His hand shook as he surfed from one
station to the next, seeking some sign of what he’d done. When they started
repeating the same stories, he wasn’t sure whether he was more relieved or
scared. Maybe he hadn’t hurt anyone. Maybe he’d saved someone’s life and gotten
them medical attention. Then again, maybe they just hadn’t found the body yet.
Or bodies.
This wasn’t the first time Clay had woken
up with blood on his hands, but he had no way of figuring out how to make it be
the last time. The only person he could trust was his best friend, Mira. She
was like a sister to him, and he couldn’t stand the idea of burdening her with
his problems.
Still, if anyone could help him solve the
mystery, she could.
Clay dug his cell phone out of his bloody
jeans and wiped it clean before dialing Mira.
Her voice was so cheerful and bright, it
hurt his head. “Good morning, Clay. You’re up early.”
“Heya, squirt. I need a favor.”
“Sure.”
“I need to know if anyone in the area was
killed last night.”
The line went silent for a minute. “Uh .
. . what?”
He hated lying to her, but there was no
other way. “I saw a ton of blood on the sidewalk outside a club. I was
wondering if anyone was murdered. Can you find out?”
“Where was it?”
Shit. He hadn’t been thinking clearly
enough to consider even such a simple question. He was even worse off in the
mental department than he’d thought. “I don’t remember. I was drunk.”
“Clay,” she said in that voice that told
him she knew he was lying. “What’s really going on?”
“Can you find out or not?”
She let out a heavy sigh. They’d been
friends a long time—since they were kids—and he was not easy on his friends.
Especially Mira.
“Hold on.” Disappointment weighed on her
voice.
Clay heard the clicking of keys in the
background before she came back on the line. “There was a drug- elated
shooting that killed three. One fatal car accident. Three deaths from natural
causes. That’s all I could find.”
“Any John or Jane Does?”
“You want me to hack into the morgue?
That’s a little dark, even for you. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Really. Don’t worry.”
“How can I not worry? You sound awful.
Did something happen?”
The lie nearly choked him. “No. I’m sorry
I bothered you.”
“You’re not a bother, Clay. You know I
love you. Whatever you need, I’m there, okay?”
An unexpected spurt of emotion clogged
his throat. She was the only person in the world he really cared about. He
didn’t know why she stuck with him when he was such a mess, but he was glad she
did. “I love you, too, squirt.”
“Then let me help you. The headaches, the
blackouts—you need help.”
The pile of bloody clothes popped into
his mind, staring at him in accusation. Until he figured out what was going on,
he wasn’t safe to be around. “I’ll be fine. But I’m not feeling so great, so
I’m taking a sick day. Will you let Bella know?”
“Sure. Get some rest and call me if you
need anything, okay?”
“I will,” he lied.
Mira hung up the phone feeling sick to
her stomach. Clay was getting worse. The bruises, the split knuckles, the
dislocated joints. And now he wanted her to check death records? Even if her IQ
had been cut in half, she would have been able to figure out what that meant.
He thought he’d killed someone.
Clay kept pushing her away, making up
reasons why they could no longer hang out together. The more she tried to help,
the harder he pushed.
If he wouldn’t let her help him, she had
to find someone who could. And there was only one man Mira knew who had even a
chance at getting through Clay’s thick skull.
What she was about to do would piss off
her best friend, but that was just too bad. She owed him her life— even if he
didn’t remember— nd if she had to suffer through his anger, so be it.
Shannon
is offering up a signed copy of “Razor’s Edge” and a
custom made glass bookmark to a winner on Book Monster Reviews and a signed copy of “Living on the Edge” and a custom made necklace to a winner from LITERAL ADDICTION.
To
Enter:
Fill
out the Rafflecopter widget for today’s event, follow the directions, take
action, and mark as ‘Done’.
For
your chance at a signed copy of “Living on the Edge” and a custom made necklace,
be sure to head over at LITERAL ADDICTION, and enter the contest over
there as well!
Good
Luck!
LIVE CHAT, DON’T FORGET: Shannon will be available to chat live with members, followers, fans and guests in LITERAL ADDICTION’s Author Chatroom from 8-9pm EST/7-8pm CDT/5-6pm GMT & PDT.
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