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EXCERPT
The strong stench of chemicals and
bleach burned my nose and lungs, waking me from a deep and dreamlike haze, my
eyes struggling open to find almost complete darkness. At least, I assumed it
was; my mind and vision were both cloudy. Beneath the overwhelming odor of some
kind of cleanser and noxious fumes, I caught a whiff of something dank, much
like mold or mildew. In the distance, I heard a voice - no, two voices, muffled
and just close enough for me to make out a bit of what they were saying. The
sounds only compromised by the echoes which bounced off of the walls around me.
Was I in a tunnel?
Deep tones meant that both voices were
male and I forced my mind to focus. Instantly, a searing pain erupted in my
side, forcing the last bit of drowsiness away and bringing me to the surface of
my consciousness. I’d never experienced anything so wretched before in my life!
The growing pain was far worse than any headache or migraine that I’d ever had.
It cut through me, like a hot knife, and every other thought fled from my mind.
All I could concentrate on was this horrific sensation, not like a broken bone
or a bad cut. No, it created an image of someone slicing into me and placing a
burning hot coal, straight from the fire, deep into the right side of my body.
Instinctively, I reached to pull out the
offending rock and instantly began to panic when my arms wouldn’t move. I
thought, perhaps, the excruciating pain had caused my brain to not connect to
my limbs. But as my natural reflexes had me trying to move, I felt the
restraints at my wrists and ankles, holding me down. They were tight, and I
realized they cut the circulation to my feet and hands. Trying to assess my
situation, I noticed the cold, flat surface beneath me and, as I turned my
head, the smallest bit of light crept into my line of vision.
I was blindfolded.
True panic had my blood pumping hot and
fast through my body, and I attempted to control my breathing, trying to negate
the effects of the agony in my side as well as my fear. I would never find a
release if I didn’t calm down.
With clearer perception now, I noticed
that the blindfold was thin, perhaps the black nylon of a pair of pantyhose,
and it had slipped ever so slightly, allowing that small amount of light to
shine just beneath it. Squinting and focusing until my eyes ached, I made out
fuzzy shapes through the blindfold. From my limited perspective, I could tell
that the room was larger than I’d first imagined, with tall ceilings, and I
heard the familiar humming of bright fluorescent lights. The sound echoed the
sensation in my body as I forced myself to ignore the debilitating pain.
Turning my head to each side, I took
note of what appeared to be several small, cot-like, beds.
Hospital beds?
No, they were more like operating
tables...and I was on one of them. I couldn’t make out occupants on top of any
other beds, nor could I see anyone standing in the room I was in. But there was
a darker spot in a far corner, and the voices seemed to be coming from that
direction.
It must be another room.
Flexing my face and working my eyebrows,
I managed to continue moving the blindfold so that I had a little more
visibility. I tried one more time and got the entire thing shifted so it only
rested on my eyelids, barely affecting my ability to see. I could pick out the
two men standing in the frame of two open double doors, and I saw a tattoo on
one of them.
With the material still weighing on my
eyelids, it compromised my ability to see their upper bodies, but I stared at
the tattoo on the man’s calf, just below a pair of loose beige shorts. It was
shaped like a diamond, but the corner was too dim for me to catch the details.
I stared hard, making sure to burn the image into my memory. I would use it to
aid the police in finding my captor.
If I ever made it out of here alive.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
&
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Published author and freelance
writer/editor Candace Osmond was born in North York, ON. From there she began
her journey of discovering Canada, moving every few years and experiencing what
every province had to offer. She was surrounded and influenced by many cultures
which broadened her mind and personality. Coming from a family of writers and
artists dispersed throughout, it was inevitable that Candace follow in her
family's footsteps. By the early age of ten years old, Candace had won numerous
writing and art competitions including a nation wide art contest for the Louie
the Lightening Bug Play it Safe Around Electricity program where the company
used her winning ad design. A few years later Candace found herself writing for
the local news flyer and then branching off into fiction writing.
Candace published her first book by the
age of 25, the first installment in a YA Urban Fantasy to which two others were
published with it; The Iron World Series.
Candace is one of the creative writers
to www.sssh.com, an acclaimed Erotic Romance website for women which has been
featured on NBC Nightline and a number of other large platforms. Her most
recent project is a screen play that is pending a nomination for an AVN Award.
Aside from writing, Candace did manage
to get her certification for Interior Design and Decor. After years of working
with fellow designers, architects, and home owners, Candace won a Peak Award
for Best Kitchen Design under $10,000.
Now residing in a small town in Alberta,
CA with her husband and two kids, Candace writes full time, developing articles
for just about every niche, two more novels, and a hoard of short stories.
Do you work another job as well as your
writing work?
Nope. I'm lucky enough to do this full
time. I get to stay home with my kids while I work on my own projects and also
maintain a freelance writing career.
What is the name of your latest book,
and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
The Donor, a SciFi Fantasy set just a
few years in the future of Toronto, ON. Organ harvesters and light romance. How
many words is that? lol
How long does it usually take you to
write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
Once I come up with an idea and plot it
out, I would say about a year.
What can we expect from you in the
future? ie More books of the same genre?
Books of a different genre?
Well, I'm working on a cool eBook mini
series called Killer Me. Readers are saying that if you liked the TV show
Dexter then you'll love this series. It
follows a punk girl named Alice Teller as she's stalked by a serial killer. The
cool thing about it is the Alice in Wonderland theme! There's a new short story
in the series released each month, number three just came out and there's going
to be nine in total. I'm already considering a follow up series for it, so stay
tuned! Other than that, I have a few novels in the works from the Fantasy and
Romance genres.
What genre would you place your books
into?
Well, The Iron World Series is
definitely a YA Urban Fantasy. The Donor is a SciFi Fantasy, and then Killer Me
is a Psychological Thriller series.
Where do you get your book plot ideas
from? What/Who is your inspiration?
I'm very lucky to have an extremely
creative husband. We have brainstorm sessions where we just sit down for hours
and come up with book ideas. Also, my son. He's only four years old but, man,
his imagination is off the wall! I sit in bed with him and, instead of reading
books some nights, we just make up stories about magical creatures and scary
"bad guys" lol
Do you have anybody read your books and
give you reviews before you officially release them? ie. Your partner,
children, friends, and reviewers you know?
Yes, I have a few beta readers who I
trust to give me honest feedback. I think it's very important for every author
to have that; people they know and trust to actually read the material and give
helpful advice.
Do you gift books to readers to do
reviews?
I gift digital copies of all my books to
any book bloggers or reviewers. They usually contact me via email, Facebook, or
Twitter.
How do you come up with the title and
cover designs for your book/books? Who designed the cover of your books?
The titles usually just create
themselves once I'm heavy into the first draft. The wonderful, and extremely
talented, Majeau Designs handles all of my book covers, print ads, marketing
material, etc. I love them. If you want professional quality for a super
awesome price then go there. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
How do you come up with characters names
and place names in your books?
Well, my signature (I guess you could
call it) is that all of my books have Canadian settings, so that's easy enough
to create; I'm Canadian lol Characters are usually inspired from real people I
know or they way I view certain people I've met in my life.
Do you basic plot/plan for your book,
before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you let the writing flow and
see where it takes the story?
Kind of a bit of both. I come up with an
idea, plot it out with a basic outline and then just write. If a character
takes a different turn or I discover a better way to end the story then, yes,
things will definitely change as I go. I've even been known to write the ending
first and then base the entire story or series around that.
How do you market/promote your books?
Mostly social media. But I do book tours
for each new release, I register for as many trade shows and conventions as I
can, and I try to do fun things like giveaways and stuff to keep readers
entertained between book releases. I also keep in touch with a lot of book
bloggers/reviewers to help me get my new books out there. The local libraries,
bookstores, schools, etc are also something that I utilize by taking part in
fundraisers and such. In 2015 I'll be at RTCon in Dallas, TX so I'm VERY
excited about that, to say the least!
Have you ever suffered from a
"writer's block"? What did you do to get past the "block"?
Ohhhh yes! I think every writer suffers
from it from time to time. The best thing to do (for me, anyway) is to change
my surroundings. Often, writer's block just comes from the lack of inspiration
and stimulation. Go for a walk in a park you've never been to, read a book
outside of the genre you normally like, go see a weird movie, etc.
Which format of book do you prefer,
ebook, hardback, or paperback?
Paperback, hands down. EBooks are very
convenient and save a lot of space in my house, but I'll always love a good ol'
paperback that I can toss in my purse and hold to my chest when I'm done.
What is your favorite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
I have a ton of favorite books, and read
them all at least once a year. But I have to say, the Wicked Lovely series by
Melissa Marr really resonated with me. I've read it about a thousand times. Her
world building skills are something to be admired and her characters have such
depth. You fall in love with the supporting characters which is a trait that I
love in books.
Do you think books transfer to movies
well? Which is you favourite/worst book to movie transfer?
I think books can transfer to movies
very well, as long as they have the right director behind the project and the
perfect actors to portray already beloved characters. We all know a terrible
book-to-movie adaptation, so I won't both to mention it, but one example of a
perfect book to movie is The Hunger Games or the Fault in Our Stars.
Do you think ebooks will ever totally
replace printed books?
Yes. But in the far, far, far, future.
And only because of the fact that we are inevitably moving into a totally
digital age; everything is digital nowadays. But I hope that there will always
be the option to have a printed copy if you wanted to order it.
Did you have a favourite author as a
child?
LOL yes, I think it was everyone else's
favorite; R.L. Stine, the author of Goosebumps.
If you could invite three favourite
writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy chatting with?
Oh, I love this question! Definitely
Melissa Marr, Anne Rice, and Samantha Young! I think the diversity of the three
would produce some very interesting dinner conversation!
Where can readers follow you?
Facebook, Twitter, Wattpad, Pinterest,
Linkdin, Goodreads, etc. All the usually hang outs =)
AUTHOR LINKS
