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USA (One Book) $15.00 USD Canada (One Book) $25.00 USD

Reaper's Rhythm by Clare Davidson Cover Reveal

(Warning: Possibly disturbing content ahead. *suicide*)

  Blurb When everyone thinks your sister committed suicide, it’s hard to prove she was murdered. Kim is unable to accept Charley’s sudden death. Crippled by an unnatural amnesia, her questions are met with wall after wall. As she doubts her sanity, she realises her investigation is putting those around her in danger. The only person who seems to know anything is Matthew, an elusive stranger who would rather vanish than talk. Despite his friendly smile, Kim isn’t sure she can trust him. But if she wants to protect her family from further danger, Kim must work with Matthew to discover how Charley died – before it’s too late.

Excerpt from Reaper’s Rhythm

The warm light seeps through the closed sitting room curtains when I step into the drive. The muffled thump of dance music grows louder as I approach the familiar front door. I push the key into the lock, but the door swings open on its own. My breath catches in my throat, but I force it into a growl. Not only has my sister, Charley, not bothered to lock the door, she hasn’t latched it. Whatever she rushed home for must have been important.

I step over the threshold and a blast of warm air hits me, enveloping me like one of Mum’s overprotective hugs. My wind-chilled face tingles, as I close and lock the door.

"Charley, I hope you’ve set the table.” My voice competes with the din of the deep bass of my sister’s music. I toss my keys into the wicker basket on the hall table. As I peel my coat off, I see Charley’s in a crumpled heap on the floor.

Rolling my eyes, I scoop it up and hang it, then place her discarded boots in the shoe rack beside my own. Why am I the conscientious sister? I’m only sixteen. Charley will be heading off to university next year. Stomach rumbling, I snatch up the Chinese takeout I’d picked up on the walk home and wander into the kitchen. Frowning, I flick the switch to light up the pristine room. Mum is a clean freak now that Dad doesn’t live here. The table isn't set, even though Charley promised she would do it before she rushed off ahead.

"Charley,” I call out and then dump the bag on the kitchen table and stomp across the hall to the sitting room, shoving the door open. The music hits me first, making me jerk my head back, then the smell. An odd odour, metallic and rich, overpowers the air freshener on the mantel.

"Charley?" She must be trying to scare me. "Charley, stop messing around.” I grit my teeth, expecting her to jump out at any second. My body shudders and my flesh tingles as if an army of ants is marching beneath my skin.

I back out of the empty sitting room and bolt upstairs. The smell is stronger, snaking down my throat, making me want to gag. “Charley?” I shove her door open, hard.

Charley’s lying on the bed, her blond hair fanned out over the pillow. Her arms are spread wide, palms up. Crimson blood drips from deep slashes on her wrists. Her blue eyes are open, staring at the ceiling. But they don't see. They're dull, empty. Dead.

The room spins. My stomach lurches and bile rises up my throat. I swallow and clap my hand to my mouth. Sagging against the doorframe, I can’t tear my gaze from the single lock of hair resting over Charley’s porcelain cheek.

What should I do?

Charley would know what to do.

As I stumble down the stairs, my mind clicks into gear. A scream rips out of my throat, eclipsing the pounding music. My foot slips on the beige carpet, sending me tumbling down the remaining stairs. My shoulder and back slam against the wall. I scramble to my feet, screaming, sobbing, then stagger into the hallway, colliding into a young man with the darkest eyes I’ve ever seen. My own force knocks me backwards. His strong grip clenches my arm, preventing me from falling.

I try to scream again, but the sound is trapped within my constricting chest. My sister is dead. A stranger is in my house. I writhe against his grip, lashing out with my foot. My toes crumple and sting when they hit his shin. I’m thrown off balance, but he holds me fast. He raises his thumb to my forehead and applies gentle pressure, as he sweeps his thumb towards my brow and then hooks it back up. "Sleep." His quiet voice acts like a sedative.

My head flops forward until my chin touches my chest. A new scent replaces the sickly metallic tang of Charley’s blood: freshly cut grass. Inhaling it makes my head fuzzy and my heartbeat slow. I want to see his face, memorise every detail. The contours of his cheeks and jaw, the shape of his nose, the colour of his hair. The police want to know those things, don’t they?

The only feature I can see for sure is the impossible darkness of his eyes. My own eyelids droop, my limbs turn liquid. A strong arm loops round my back and lowers me to the floor. I fight against sleep. Each time I force my eyelids open, they flutter shut again. "Forget,” he says. The word is nothing more than a whisper at the edge of my hearing. "Sleep."

  Author Bio: Clare Davidson is an independent writer, based in Lancaster. Clare is a high school teacher, mother and character-driven fantasy writer. Clare was born in Northampton and lived in Malaysia for four and a half years as a child, before returning to the UK to settle in Leeds with her family. Whilst attending Lancaster University, Clare met her future husband and never left. They now share their lives with their young daughter, a cranky grey cat and an insane white kitten. She published her first novel, Trinity in July 2012. Trinity is a young adult, fantasy novel, which currently has seventeen five star reviews on Amazon UK. Her second novel, Reaper’s Rhythm, is due to be released on the 26^th July 2013. Also aimed at a young adult audience, Reaper’s Rhythm is an urban fantasy with a dash of mystery.

  Ways to connect with Clare Davidson: Website Twitter Facebook Goodreads New releases mailing list      

Saturday's With The Family-- Planning ahead

James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will^[g] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

I’m a planner. I like to plan things. If I don’t know what’s going on a few days or weeks down the road, I get antsy.

My middle daughter is the same way. She has to know when everything is going to happen. Honestly, it does get tiring planning so far ahead so she won’t meltdown.

Yesterday, I took my girls on a little shopping trip. The whole way there, they kept asking where we were going first, then what… then what… then what!

Finally I told them, “Girls, let’s just not plan. We’ll end up where we end up. Let’s have an adventure.”

We did.

And it was fun.

It was nice to have a few hours without a strict plan.

I need that more often.

I have an internet friend named Nicole. She was pregnant and planning for her fifth baby: a boy. They could tell from the first ultrasound that something was wrong.

Like all of us would, she planned.

She went to the best hospital and stayed in the Ronald McDonald house (not in TN. They live in Canada.). She looked toward the future, and though it looked rough for her little boy, she stayed strong. Nicole took pictures of her baby belly, excited about how much her little man was growing. They were going to love him no matter what.

A few days ago, Nicole’s family learned all too well about the ‘vapor’ in the scripture above. Nicole was found dead in her room. The baby didn’t make it either. The medical examiner did an autopsy, but so far no cause of death. Nicole was 37.

We were due date buddies. My youngest child and her forth were both due in July 2010. Please pray for her family. She has 4 other children (one turned 3 on the day his mama died). It’s sad all around. The daddy is trying the best he can, but I know they could use prayers.

We can plan all we want, but when its time, it’s time. Enjoy life. Enjoy the moment. Take time to do something without planning ahead. And don’t hold grudges because you never know when it’ll be the last time you see someone. 

~Kelly

Saturday with the Family-- A Study in Patience

A Study in Patience

When my daughter was four years old, my mother (her Nana) asked her what she wanted for her birthday. My daughter said an Easy Bake Oven. Nana (thankfully) didn’t want to get her one and, as an excuse said, “Oh look, the box says you have to be 8 to have it. Are you 8?”

“No.” My sweet girl shook her head.

“Okay.” Nana smiled, happy to have that crisis averted. “You can have it when you are 8.” They went on their way, and Nana assumed she forgot it.

As parents, we’ve all done that (or I assume you have. I have). If we don’t want our kids to have something, we tell them something and hope they forget it.

My daughter, though, surprised us all.

On her fifth birthday she announced, out of the blue, “Only three more years until I can have my Easy Bake Oven!”

On her sixth birthday, “Only two more years until I can have my Easy Bake Oven!”

On her seventh birthday, “Only one more year!! I can’t wait to be eight to get my Easy Bake Oven.”

In the four years since Nana told her those fateful words, “You have to wait until you are eight”, my daughter has never once begged for an Easy Bake Oven. She hasn’t cried. She hasn’t whined. She’s just been very upbeat that she WOULD get an Easy Bake Oven. All she had to do was wait.

I wish I was more like my eight year old.

Proverbs 25:15

Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones.

I can think of this two ways. 1) She KNEW her Mama would give her exactly what she promised. 2) She had patience to wait (four years… an eternity to a kid) for it.

I don’t know about you, but I want things NOW! I write fast because I can’t stand having an unfinished story. I can write a book (60,000 words) in about 3-4 weeks. Because of that, I have this tendency to want EVERYTHING fast. I’m a horrible, “I want it now!” person.

I guess you could say my daughter got my patience… because I sure don’t have any left ;)

Now, don’t get wrong. I’m patient with people (in my line of work you have to be). I’m patient with kids. But when it comes to things from God, I’m not! I have everything planned out and if He doesn’t hit *my* marks, well He’s slow and I’m sad.

I need to take a lesson from my daughter. She never complained once about having to wait four years for her Easy Bake Oven. But she never forgot it either.

Pray.

Be hopeful.

Look to the future.

Know your blessings will come (Who doesn’t want an Easy Bake Oven?)

But be happy with what you have now.

Did my daughter just not play with any toys while she waited for her Easy Bake Oven? Did she sit, mope, hate life, and stare at a wall until her blessing came?

No, she enjoyed her other toys (her blessings as it were), waiting for the big desire of her heart.

Don’t miss out on playing with your other *toys* because you are waiting for your *Easy Bake Oven*. It’ll come… and hey, it might even be the new and improved ‘Ultimate Oven’… a much better blessing than you would have gotten four years ago.

Patience.

(My oldest and youngest kids have the same birthday. My 8 year old with her new Easy Bake Oven. My 3 year old... all she wanted was a big ball. Yeah. ;) )

~Kelly

A Book By Its Cover Book Club-- July Edition

Did you know I host book release parties on facebook? Click the tab at the top of the page :) I'd love to work with you to plan your release party :)

I'm going to start something new on this blog-- A Book By Its Cover Book Club. 

Every month, I'm going to chose ONE book... just one... solely by the cover. The catch is, I'm not going to read the back cover blurb so I'll have no idea what the book is about when I read it.

WHY am I doing this?

Well, a few weeks ago, I bought a book from UtopYA called SWIFT by Heather London. I didn't read the back. I just bought it because it was pretty (Superficial? Sure. But it was fun to read without knowing what was going on. It made the book more of a mystery.)

Ain't it a pretty cover?

I read it and while it wasn't exactly what I expected, it was fun to be surprised and not have any idea what the story would be about.

I decided I wanted to do this every month...

And I wanted you all to join me.

1) Pick a book just by the cover (ebook or paperback. Mine was paperback, but it doesn't matter)

2) Read the book

3). Post a review on your blog (I'll have mine up the last week of this month. That way you all will have a chance to read one.)

4) LINK your blog post review in the post at the end of the month.

Easy.

For now, pick a book you want to be surprised by and post what book it is in the comments of this post. I can't wait to see what you've chosen :) We'll meet back at the end of the month to see what you thought of your books :)

Saturday with the Family-- Patience and Pancakes

Today, I was about to cook breakfast for my family. The husband didn't want pancakes. 2/3 of my girls wanted cereal. Just me and my oldest wanted what I had started cooking.

"Okay," I thought. "I normally don't do this, but I'll cook everybody what they want." Normally, I'm a stickler for things. If I cook it, you eat or do without. I have been told (recently) that I might be a tad bit uptight about things so I decided, okay, I'll be 'good' today.

That was my first mistake....

While I was cooking the pancakes, the husband fixed himself some chili fries. Okay, no big deal. He's a grown man.

My kids were different.

My youngest two started in it. Apparently, life as we knew it was about to cease to exist. They were starving... like STARVING! So, being good as I was, I fixed their cereal while I worked on the pancakes. They ate. I cooked.

My oldest daughter saw her sisters eating and wanted her pancake early. She didn't want to wait for the eggs or strawberries. She just wanted her pancake.

Okay, whatever.

I gave her pancake to her and started on mine.

They were still hungry, so I fixed some strawberries. They ate. I cooked. Finally, when I got finished cooking the pancakes and eggs, I sat down to eat. My family got up because they were finished. All except for my 2 year old, who decided she needed a pancake (even though she'd already eaten a bowl of chocolate cereal.) NOTE: she didn't get a pancake, but I did give her 2-3 bites of mine.

I was sitting (alone), eating (alone), thinking (alone) when I started laughing. (NOTE: laughing alone just makes you look weird... But I did it anyway. Make your own conclusions.)

 Years ago, I asked God for a husband. I got one.

After that, I asked God for a job. I got one.

After that, I asked God for a child. I got one.

After that, I asked God for another child. I got one.

After that, I asked God for a third child. I got one.

After that, I asked God to allow me to write a book. I did.

After that, I asked God to allow the book to be published. It was.

After that, I asked God for big sales. It was on the bestseller list.

After that, I asked God for a second books to sell. It did.

After that.... you get the idea.

Like my 2 year old (yeah I admit it), I always want more. God is the cook in the kitchen trying to get our lives... our blessings prepared for us to enjoy, and sometimes we are the impatient children wanting it NOW! Had my 2 year old waited, she would have gotten a treat-- a pancake-- and not cereal that she eats every day.

We forget that God is working behind the scenes, cooking if you will, to get everything ready.

But we want it NOW!

I've been praying for something (again... Not a baby lol) and I seem to want it NOW and get upset when it doesn't happen. I'm like my two year old. Sigh.

When you get upset over something or don't see it happening, remember God is always working behind the scenes. He's cooking you up something much better than your ordinary cereal. Be patient. Enjoy what you have now-- but look forward to those pancakes in the future.

Proverbs 16:32: Better to be patient than powerful;

better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

Are you wanting something very much?

Have you asked God for it?

Are you being patient and waiting?

Or are you being like me (lol)?

My goal is to enjoy where I am now and look forward to what is in store in the future :) I hope the same for you :) :)

~Kelly

One Year Ago-- Signed my first book contract

ONE YEAR AGO this week, I signed my first book contract with Astraea Press for CROSSING THE DEEP.

TO CELEBRATE CTD IS ON SALE FOR 99 CENTS!!! GO GET IT NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T. IT'S ALSO IN PAPERBACKS. CLICK HERE....

Yesterday, it was in the top 10 on 2 Amazon Categories!!!

It has been an amazing ride! The highs of being published and the lows of doubt and 'what in the world am I doing?'

Now, I have 2 books out and 3 more on the way!!!

SAINT SLOAN-- out  now

THE DECEPTION OF DEVIN MILLER-- coming July 23rd

BIG IS BEAUTIFUL: A LOVE STORY-- Sept 3rd

THE AFTERLIFE OF LIZZIE MONROE-- January 2014

And it all started with one book contract from Astraea Press!

I've met Stephanie Taylor (the owner) since then.

Ain't we cute?

I was looking back at my old blog (the one that the domain expired and I just let it...), and came upon this post: my feelings on my first book contract. I thought it fitting one year later to repost it and go down memory lane. Maybe tomorrow I'll post on how it feels one year later (spoiler: the anxiety isn't gone...)

THIS WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JULY 4th, 2012. Oh, the links don't work any more. New blog and all...

Back in October of last year, I wrote a blog post called:

Yes, I May Have Possibly Lost My Mind... where I told you all about my crazy plan to participate in 'Nanowrimo' (National Novel Writing Month). It's where you write a novel... in a month.

Well, I did it! I wrote the book. And that lead to this post on 11/27: An Update... where I told of my intentions of getting published (in one way or another).

I wrote about how nitpicky I was getting in December '11: Nitpicking to Death

Then in February, I had a short story of mine published called Happy Birthday... not to me! Exciting News!

In March, I didn't blog about it, but I sent my first query to an agent (on March 23rd). It was rejected.  In the following months I sent over 40.... they were all rejected. 


This post from June told about how I've gotten used to rejection letters: 5 Minute Friday: Risk

So... where is all of this leading?

Well...

I am proud to announce that yesterday I signed a contract for my first book 'Crossing the Deep' (the one I started in November '11) to be published by Astraea Press!

It's been an overwhelming week (I actually had 2 offers to publish it). And I'm so happy and thankful to have the contract signed and start.

The book will be in eBook form first, then after it sells $200 it will be in paperback (so save your dollars... my mama really wants a paperback ;) ) (ETA, she finally got them!!!!)

I want to thank all of you for praying for me, for supporting me, and for being there on my good days and my low days. I want to thank God especially for showing me what to do and for being there with me.

Last night, I prayed for God to show me that I made the right decision. I opened up my bible to THIS verse:

Psalm 96:3
Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does

I'd say that was a yes :)

I'll update as I go through this publishing process :)

Happy 4th of July American friends (and Happy Wednesday to everyone else ;) )

Much Love,

Kelly~ Soon to be published author :)