When Dallas resident
Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead,
she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now
she's witnessed another murder, and she's not about to let this one go. She's
determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to
answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?
Excerpt
As
Molly straightened up, the man slipped the wire over her head and twisted it
around her neck. She struggled, but he pulled the garrote tighter and tighter.
I
was screaming at the top of my ghostly voice, for all the good it did me. I
moved up behind the man and beat at his back with closed fists--fists that
slipped in and out of his back without ever making real contact. He shuddered a
little--clearly he was one of the very slightly sensitive ones--but he didn’t
loosen his hands.
I
reached up and tried to grab the wire, tried to pull against the pressure he
was exerting on the wire and it did loosen for an instant. But only for an
instant. The living have more control over solid
objects than the dead do. I never resented that fact more than at that moment.
But
I kept trying. I kept trying as Molly’s face turned purple, then blue, then
black, kept trying even as she drooped in the man’s grip.
Then
he loosened the wire and it was too late. I watched that wispy, light-on-fog
life force slip out of Molly and move on to wherever it is that other people go
when they die. I was glad she didn’t show up next to me as a full-blown ghost.
At that moment, I wouldn’t have wished my impotent half-existence on anyone.
I
couldn’t help thinking that if I’d been alive, I might have been able to save
her.
If
I could have cried real tears, I would have. As it was, I was sobbing hoarsely
and calling the man every dirty name I could think of.
I
was still cursing as I followed him around the kitchen. First he opened the
pantry and pulled out a box of Hefty garbage bags. Then he grabbed a knife out
of the block on the counter. And finally, he picked up Molly’s body and carried
it to the bathroom.
Author’s Bio: Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press.
Links
Email: MargoBondCollins@gmail.com
Be sure to add Waking Up Dead to your Goodreads bookshelves: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18428064-waking-up-dead
Book Trailers:
http://youtu.be/KUBg83s4BOU
The Amazing Post!
The Amazing Post!
Top Ten Favorite
Female Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction Authors
Last summer, I read
Ann Aguirre’s amazing blog post about sexism in the science fiction community (http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/beyondherbook/?p=8152). Six months later, I am still thinking
about her experiences and about the specific kinds of pressures that female authors
face in genres that are traditionally dominated by male writers—and possibly
even in genres that are typically more available to women writers. I find
myself thinking about what constitutes “women’s fiction.” Because of these
issues, I think it’s important to acknowledge the influence that amazing women
writers of science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction have had on my own
writing. So today I’m including a list of my top ten favorite female authors in
these genres. There are many more, but these are the ones who come to mind
immediately—the ones who inspire me to keep writing!
1. Ann Aguirre. I
adore Sirantha Jax, the heroine of Grimspace
and its sequels—but Enclave is the
book that really drew me in! Deuce’s world is utterly entrancing.
2. Connie Willis. She is one of my favorite writers ever, and I
especially enjoy the great time-travel fun she offers. I read To Say Nothing of the Dog first, but I
am also a huge fan of Willis’ short fiction; Impossible Things is a great place to start.
3. Lois McMaster
Bujold. I love all of Bujold’s
Miles Vorkosigan series (I re-read them regularly), but A Civil Campaign is an absolute joy. It’s worth reading all the
ones that come before if only to read this comedy-of-manners-meets-space-opera
masterpiece.
4. Robin McKinley. Her book Sunshine inspired me to write my first novel. Most recently, Shadows kept me from sleeping on a flight from London back to Texas. I couldn’t put it down!
4. Robin McKinley. Her book Sunshine inspired me to write my first novel. Most recently, Shadows kept me from sleeping on a flight from London back to Texas. I couldn’t put it down!
5. Madeleine L’Engle.
I had A Wrinkle in Time virtually
memorized when I was in the fourth grade.
6. Andre Norton. I
checked out every book by her from the local library when I was a child.
7. Margaret Atwood.
The Handmaid’s Tale horrified and
enthralled me in college. Her books have only gotten better since.
8. Ursula K.
LeGuin. Her short story “She Unnames Them” was my introduction to LeGuin, and I
have been an ardent fan ever since.
9. Kage Baker. Her
Company series is amazing. I hated the ending of The Garden of Iden, but her storytelling was so compelling that I
had to keep reading, and I was glad I did!
10. Mary Doria
Russell. I always suggest The Sparrow
as a first read for people who say they don’t like science fiction. I still
shudder every time I read the line “Eventually, something would have to be done
about his hands.”
Thanks for hosting me today!
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