Lotus Petals by Gina Drayer Excerpt, Guest Post & 2 Giveaways!

Lotus Petals by Gina Drayer

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Book Length: 258 pages

DESCRIPTION

Olivia Harmon feels safer separated from everyone else. Her empathic powers not only lets her experience other people’s feelings, but also influence them. It’s a heavy burden to carry, and the main reason she’s always been more comfortable around the dead. As a small town funeral director and assistant county coroner, Olivia is able to keep her distance from the day to day drama of the living.

But after a series of seemingly unrelated deaths, Olivia discovers a hidden connection that puts her right in the middle of the investigation. In order to stop a killer, she must face a menacing dark magic and her own family’s hidden past. When confronted with the truth, Olivia will be forced to choose between the carefully constructed life she has tried to maintain and the reality of who she really is.

Goodreads link to book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22572162-lotus-petals

 

EXCERPT

“The vehicle swerved, perhaps to avoid a deer or some other wildlife, and dropped off the embankment, coming to rest there." Officer Richardson indicated the car's current position. "The passenger was ejected, and the male driver appears to have died on impact. We’ve identified him." He paused and flipped through several more pages of his notebook. "Scott Malone of Indianapolis. The female passenger wasn’t carrying identification. I'll notify Mr. Malone's next of kin, and hopefully they can help me ID the woman.”

"Thanks. I'll do my reading, and then we can all go home."

"I’ll wait by my car for you to finish.” Brad still wasn’t comfortable with the fact I used magic on the job, even after months of working together.

"It shouldn’t take long,” I shrugged, trying to put him at ease. “That is, if the weather holds out."

It was overcast, and the starless sky added to the grim mood on the ground. The heavy clouds crouching over the scene threatened snow at any moment. The moisture screwed with the energy flow, making it harder to gather power, so I needed to wrap this up quick.

"I should be able to make a ruling in a few minutes," I said, and with a renewed sense of urgency headed toward the Toyota. As I followed the path the car had taken, nothing seemed unusual. I opened the door, and the metallic tang of blood assaulted me. The driver was hunched over the steering wheel. The head wound looked serious, but blood wasn't always a clear indication of damage. The only way I'd know for sure was an examination.

I snapped a few photographs and slipped off my rings, dropping them into my pocket. With my new ink, I didn’t have to draw spell glyphs on my hands anymore. I pulled on my gloves, ready to do the reading. I gathered power and drew it through the caduceus on my wrist. Images flashed behind my closed eyes.

Liver damage from habitual drinking. A healed knife wound. Two fractured ribs. A compound fracture of the wrist. Two burst fractures of the lumbar spine. A fractured skull and brain trauma.

The injuries were jumbled together in such a short span of time, it was hard to tell which one came first, but the brain trauma was clearly the cause of death. Everything seemed to be in line with an auto accident. I took a few more photographs and moved on to the body on the ground, removing the white sheet.

The unidentified girl was pretty. Strawberry blonde hair splayed around her head and a sprinkling of freckles dotted her baby face. She looked far too young to end up with me.

"I’m so sorry," I said, smoothing the hair from her face. “I’ll take care of you. I promise.” I placed a hand over each of her eyes, and a hot flash of power surged up my arms. I jerked my hand back.

What the h*ll?

My fingers burned from the contact. Shaking them, I gave it a second try, but this time I avoided touching her directly. My hands hovered just over her eyes, and I sent out my power. There was resistance, and the images never came. Something wasn’t right.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gina Drayer is an avid reader, writer, and Ubergeek. Her latest book Lotus Petals, a paranormal thriller, is forthcoming in July 2014.

Growing up a Navy brat, Gina has traveled extensively, living all over the country, but now she calls Indiana home. Currently she spends her days running the family’s Home Health Agency and her nights creating fantastic world.

Gina writes gripping, fast paced thrillers with a magical twist and steamy contemporary romances. She creates stories centered on strong, witty, independent women facing situations that test their will. And of course their male counterparts have the depth and character to keep up with these leading ladies.

Guest Post:
So many times I’ve read a book and fall in love with a character. But not with the main character,  with the sidekick.

Traditionally the sidekick plays the foil: the person that keeps the hero humble, show his failings and strengths, and at times plays the fool to break the tension. But many readers fall in love with those characters.

Samwise Gamgee is one of my favorite sidekicks. His primary purpose is to relieve the tension in the story. But as the book progressed Samwise’s comic relief strayed into insightful conversation and help the reader connect with Frodo on a more personal level.  Samwise gave us a reason to root for Frodo. But would the story change, if he were the hero instead?

It’s the nature of the sidekick that makes them so lovable. We see them only as a counterpart to the hero of the story. Making them the focus of the story changes the nature of that narrative, and in essence the character themselves. And even in books where the side characters get in-depth backstories, we still don’t get to know them as well as our heroes. I’ve had more than one person tell me how much they love Charlie, my main character’s best friend. I’ve even had requests for stories from her point of view, but even though I too am a Charlie fangirl, I know that providing

Think of Harry Potter. We learn all about Harry’s struggles, fears, and tragic childhood. We know very little about Ron Weasle’s story and even less about Hermione Granger, even though they have almost as much page time as Harry. This is on purpose. Thier main role is to play confidante and complement to Harry.

What if the story was told from Hermione’s point of view?  We’d have a different story altogether. I could see the same plot being told as a story of a Muggle-born witch struggle during this time of upheaval. Was she strong and bookish because she didn’t feel confident in herself because her parents weren’t witches?  She says her Muggle parents were proud, but what was her home life truly like?  Hermione’s backstory (never published) included a younger Muggle sister. Was being the only witch in her family straining? Were other girls intimidated by her and that’s why she was friends with Harry and Ron?

My own story was born from my love of a sidekick.  I’m a Dresden Files fangirl. One of my favorite characters by far is Waldo Butters. And while my funeral director witch, Olivia Harmon, is nothing like Butters, my inspiration came from the desire to see a magical crime drama told not from a brooding detective’s point of view, but from a ancillary character’s perspective. This switch gave me the ability to change the nature of the story. It becomes less about the crime and more about how and unprepared character who’s thrust in the middle of an investigation deals with the problems.

At one point, Olivia even admits to herself she lacks the hero quality:

This wasn’t a movie, and I wasn’t the spunky heroine that could save the day through sheer will.

While we may love our sidekicks for being witty, charming, and at times wise, it’s useful to remember that they too have a story. And seeing things through their eyes, learning about their struggles, may very well change your opinion of them.

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L6H97VO

Contact Links

Website:   ginadrayer.com

Google+:   plus.google.com/+GinaDrayer

Twitter:    twitter.com/GinaDrayer

Amazon: amazon.com/author/ginadrayer

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