July 8, 2008

If Tombstones Could Talk blurb and excerpt


This one's for Penelope. :) As with Dragonfly Dreams, if you purchase a copy of If Tombstones Could Talk before the end of August, you can enter The Wild Rose Press's contest to win a FREE Sony e-Reader! This is my first attempt at a paranormal, and man, was it fun to write! Enjoy.


~

History aficionado Melanie Sparks takes a walking tour of the cemetery in her new Colorado town and learns more about one of the past residents than she ever could've imagined. The story behind Andrew Lindeman's tragic death during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush in 1859 triggers dreams in which she relives his last moments. She’s drawn closer to the handsome ghost while she resolves to clear his tarnished name. A passionate kiss sets his spirit free, but will Melanie lose her heart for good?


~

It’d started to sprinkle. Gray clouds had moved in to block out the morning sun, and it was supposed to storm sometime that morning. But after that dream, you couldn’t pay her to turn back. Excitement fluttered in her stomach as she passed through the gate and approached the oak tree.
“Andrew?”
No response. She looked around, searching for anything out of the ordinary. The air remained still. The muted ping of raindrops striking the leaves above her was the only noise to reach her ears. She touched the tombstone for a second. Cool. Did that mean anything? She knelt and held her palm over his name, but nothing happened.
Feelings of foolishness began to replace her initial disappointment. She pulled her hand away with an irritated sigh and rose to her feet. An earthy, musky scent teased her senses, making her pause. The air shifted and suddenly he materialized to the left of the granite tombstone.
“Good morning.”
She took a deep breath and managed a nervous smile. “Good morning.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d come back.”
“Yes, well, I wasn’t entirely sure I wasn’t going crazy yesterday.”
“And today you have determined you are not?”
“I haven’t determined anything yet, but...” She trailed off, not sure what reason to give as to why she’d come back today. “I went to the museum yesterday. I saw your picture.”
His form shifted and a smile graced his lips. “Ah, you now have physical evidence to back up your—hallucination. Is that not what you called me?”
“Give me a break, I’ve never experienced something like this before,” she defended.
“Neither have I.” He paused, then his smile widened. “May I have the pleasure of your name, Miss...?”
“Sparks. Melanie Sparks.” She extended her hand to him.
His gaze flicked down, then back up as his dark brows lifted sardonically while his hand remained at his side. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Sparks.”
Melanie dropped her hand as heat flooded her cheeks. Of course he couldn’t shake her hand. “Call me Melanie, please.” His head dipped slightly in acknowledgement. Their gazes held for a long moment. His eyes. She could become lost in them and feel as if she’d never left home. A thousand questions begged to be voiced, yet she had no idea what to say.


~

Check out my website for a different excerpt. Thanks! :)


Stacey Joy Netzel

15 comments:

Debby said...

Very nice excerpt. I enjoyed it.

Eva S said...

Very interesting and unusual, a book for my wishlist.

Jenny Gardiner said...

Hey Stace!
loved that and so happy to see you're doing so well!

windycindy said...

This book intrigues me! I really enjoy paranormal books and researching it. Thanks for a wonderful glimpse of your book!
Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

(posted this comment to the wrong blog entry--oops!) Thanks everyone! If you pick up a copy (or win the one today) I'd love to hear your thoughts on the whole read. It's told entirely from Melanie's POV, and every once in awhile I get an itch to add an extra chapter from Andrew's POV. Once you read the end line, you'd know why. :)

Hey, Jenny--good to see you here, too! :)

Fedora said...

How intriguing! Thanks for the excerpt and contest!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Stacey! This looks delicious. I used to watch the Ghost and Mrs. Muir all the time. Looking forward to reading the whole book!

Penelope

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

Penelope, I'd never heard of that movie, but I just googled it and it sounds so good! I'll have to see if I can get a copy of it to watch. Thanks! I go through phases where I enjoy watching old movies.

An absolute favorite, (if you saw the post for Welcome to Redemption with Sugar the Great Dane), is The Ugly Dachshund.

Estella said...

I enjoyed the excerpt!

LuAnn said...

Great excerpt! Thanks.

Margaret Tanner said...

Hi Stacey
Loved the excerpt. Sounds like a great story. Actually, it sent shivers down my spine, but good shivers, if you know what I mean.
I have added it to my TBL.
Regards
Margaret

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

Hey, Margaret--how's things going Down Under? Glad the shivers were the good kind! I am waiting for my little 'book fund' to build up again to buy a copy of Holly and the Millionaire.

Thank you everyone who took time to read and comment today. :)

Good luck in the drawing.

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Oh, I'm glad you're talking about the Sony e-Reader contest going on at TWRP. Just as Stacey's books will qualify you, so will my short story "The Priceless Gift." You're name is put in the 'hat' for each book you buy, so the more you buy, the more chances you have of winning. Check out www.thewildrosepress.com for more information on this great contest.

~Anna Kathryn

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

I'm trying to talk about the Sony e-Reader contest where I can. I really can't wait until after August so I can buy a bunch of books by the promoters of the next contest so I have a chance to win! I'd LOVE an e-reader since most of the books I buy nowadays are e-books.

Unknown said...

Great excerpt! I really enjoyed it.