Given the current Senate scandal I felt
compelled to drag this image I created back in May, 2008 back onto the blog. Let's face it,
the photo's been applicable countless times since Stephen
Harper became Prime Minister in 2006. But since a recent
poll shows 40% of Canadians surveyed believe Senator
Mike Duffy’s story while only 18% believe Steve-o's
version (and 37% don't believe either of them), the picture
seems especially apt at the moment.
Happy Halloween, Steve-o! Can I suggest
drowning your dirty politican woes in a tub of Mars bars
this evening? And maybe find a mask that can cover up
that telltale honker, at least for tonight.
Back in May I was thrilled to read and blurb
Gina
Linko's second book, Indigo. Now that it's out
(Happy release day, Gina & Indigo!) - I want
to take the opportunity to gush about it, starting with
the blurb I wrote last spring:
"Gina Linko has the touch. Indigo is
a compelling mixture of vulnerability and mysticism with
a lush romantic core. Readers will connect with Corrine's
emotional journey and relish the magnetic scenes between
Corrine and Rennick."
When Corrine moves to New Orleans with her
family after the death of her young sister, she brings with
her a heavy guilt that has her "quarantining"
herself so that she won't hurt anyone else. She knows...or
thinks she knows...that it was her other-worldly, electrically
charged touch that accidentally killed Sophie after her
fall. The trouble is that it's not so easy to shut out the
world.
Corrine's drawn into new friendships, even
as a big part of her wants to recoil. New Orleans, a land
of mystery and magic, is the perfect setting for Corrine
to grapple with the blue light—the current—that
surges through her at times. Is it a coincidence or is it
Corrine's presence that stops her friend Mia-Joy's insulin
pump from working? And how she can draw images of people
she's never met simply from listening to taped interviews
with local senior citizens her mother has been recording
?
The unfolding mystery is rich like dark chocolate,
wonderfully written with a varied cast of well-drawn characters,
both major and minor. I will admit a special fondness for
Rennick, who is both full of curiosity about Corrine and
full of his own mysteries. The slow-burning romance between
the two seamlessly blends Corrine's emotional state with
her exploration of her powers.
Indigo contains enough realism and
depth that it will appeal to readers who aren't ordinarily
keen on books with paranormal elements as well as diehard
fans of the genre. I'm betting it will win Gina Linko a
whole new crowd of readers. You can pick Indigo up
in bookstores and from internet retailers today.
Watch the trailer:
Excerpt from Chapter 5:
"You listen to me," he said gruffly,
pointing at me. "I'm going to knock on that door and
wake up your parents, tell them I found you ready to hop
a train, if you don't give me a few minutes here."
He looked at me hard, threatening me, although I could see
the apology in the shake of his head. But it was what it
was.
I knew he would knock on the door. I knew
he would, so I just gritted my teeth. "Tell me what
you know."
I met his eyes briefly. The moon was low in
the sky, a tiny crescent, a thumbnail, as Sophie used to
say. It was an inky night, with very little light, especially
in the back of my house, next to the hydrangeas and the
electric meter. And, of course, right beneath the window
of my parents' bedroom.
I listened to the hum of the crickets and
toads as Rennick gathered himself. He rubbed his hand across
his forehead nervously, and he started to say something
twice but stopped himself again. I softened toward him for
a second when I realized exactly when he seemed so different
from anyone else in New Orleans. It was because he treated
me normally. Like people did back in Chicago, back before
everything. Easy. Normal. Everyday.
Here in New Orleans, I was not a real person.
I was a freak, a weirdo. No one treated me like Corrine.
I was a story. The sideways glances. The whispers. I deserved
it.
If you're curious about what happened to Freya
& Garren after Yesterday,
stop by the Tomorrow blog tour running October 7th to 18th
for all sorts of info on the book. But Tomorrow
also functions as a standalone sci-fi thriller so you can
jump straight into the action!
You can now purchase e-copies of Tomorrow
from Amazon.com,
Amazon.co.uk,
Amazon.ca
and other Amazon stores. Paperbacks are also available from
Amazon.com,
Amazon.co.uk,
various other Amazons and Createspace.
Epubs can currently be downloaded from Smashwords.
Epubs will also be available from Kobo, the Apple iBookstore,
Barnes and Noble and other outlets within the next couple
of weeks (to get the book into these vendors' shops
I have to use aggregator Smashwords which is a slightly
slower process).
Click the below banner for a chance to win
the tour grand prize of signed paperbacks of Tomorrow and
Yesterday + a $30 Amazon Gift Card at the Itching for Books
blog. One runner-up will also win signed paperback copies
of Yesterday and Tomorrow. Contest is open to residents
of the U.S. and Canada ONLY but I'm also running a Goodreads
contest (draw date is October 10th) that residents of
the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Canada and the U.S. can enter.
