Center of Gravity
by Laura
McNeill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Her whole life, Ava
Carson has been sure of one thing: she doesn’t measure up to her mother’s
expectations. So when Mitchell Carson sweeps into her life with his adorable
son, the ready-made family seems like a dream come true.
In the blink of an
eye, she’s married, has a new baby, and life is grand.
Or is it?
When her
picture-perfect marriage begins unraveling at the seams, Ava convinces herself
she can fix it. It's temporary. It’s the stress. It’s Mitchell’s tragic history
of loss.
If only Ava could
believe her own excuses.
Mitchell is no longer
the charming, thoughtful man she married. He grows more controlling by the day,
revealing a violent jealous streak. His behavior is recklessly erratic, and the
unanswered questions about his past now hint at something far more sinister
than Ava can stomach. Before she can fit the pieces together, Mitchell files
for divorce and demands full custody of their boys.
Fueled by fierce love
for her children and aided by Graham Thomas, a new attorney in town —Ava takes
matters into her own hands, digging deep into the past. But will finding the
truth be enough to beat Mitchell at his own game?
Center of Gravity
weaves a chilling tale, revealing the unfailing and dangerous truth that
things—and people—are not always what they seem.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
When your
children are stolen, the pain swallows you whole. Logic fades, reason retreats.
Desperation permeates the tiniest crevices of your mind. Nothing soothes the
ache in your wounded soul.
Right in
front of me, my sweet, charmed life fell to pieces. Everything destroyed; a
hailstorm’s wrath on a field of wildflowers. All I’d known—gone. Foolish me,
I’d believed in magic, clung tight to false promises. The lies, spoken from
tender lips, haunt me now, follow me, and whisper into my ear like a scorned
lover.
What’s left
is emptiness.
Give up, a voice urges. Let go.
No! I argue
back. My children aren’t gone. Not yet. Precious
and delicate, tiny fossils, they exist in glass-boxed isolation. Hidden.
Protected.
And so
tonight, I run. Blood pulses through my legs, my muscles protest; my lungs
scream for more oxygen. Thick storm clouds brew in the distance. The rain falls
in blinding sheets. The force of it pricks my skin like needles, but the pain
only makes me push harder.
I will rescue
them.
Lightning
flashes across the wet driveway. The bulk of his truck looms large in the black
night. I skid to a stop and catch my breath, pressing a hand to my heaving
chest.
They’re here.
My children are here.
Thunder booms
and crashes, nearer now, the wind whips my hair. A gust tosses tree branches to
the ground. Birds cry and flutter to safety. An escaped sandbox bucket spins,
clattering on the blacktop.
I grasp the
railing and pull myself up the steps. At the top, the door’s shiny-slick with
water and humidity. Mother Nature howls and drowns out my knocking.
“Hello! Can
you hear me?” With my palm open wide, I slap at the barrier, willing it to
open. I will rescue my children. I will rescue them . . . or I will die trying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
After six
years behind the anchor desk at two CBS affiliates, Laura moved to the Alabama
Gulf Coast to raise her family. Her accolades in broadcasting include awards
from the Associated Press, including Best News Anchor and Best Specialized
Reporter.
Laura works
at Spring Hill College as the school’s web content and social media manager
and is active in her community—participating in fundraisers for the American
Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, and Providence Hospital’s Festival of
Flowers.
Laura was
recently awarded a 2-book deal with Thomas Nelson Publishing, a division of
HarperCollins. Her novel, Center of Gravity, set in Mobile, Ala., will be
published in July of 2015. Laura is represented by Elizabeth Winick Rubenstein,
president of McIntosh and Otis literary agency in New York. Her writing awards
include those from William Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Competition,
Writer’s Digest, RWA, and the Eric Hoffer competition.
She holds a
master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s
degree in English from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. She is currently
pursuing a second master’s degree in interactive technology from the University
of Alabama. She is a native of Upstate New York and currently resides near the
Alabama Gulf Coast with her two children.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Laura McNeill
will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter
during the tour, and a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn host.
I don't know what a Mom or any relative of a missing child would feel. What could they do. I know that I would most likely go crazy. I have to read this one for sure to see if there is going to be a good ending. OMG!!!.
ReplyDeleteFelicia ~ I am a reader that LOVES a satisfying ending! I think you'll like this one :)
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for holding this awesome giveaway.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you stopped by, Sara!!
DeleteThank you so much for hosting Center of Gravity today on your blog and for sharing the excerpt from the story! It was wonderful to be here on Release Day for the novel! xx, Laura
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the blurb and the excerpt. This book sounds very interesting! I will totally be adding it to my "to-read" list.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the chance!
ReplyDelete