The Killing Cure: Drink by C.S. Kendall Excerpt, Interview & Giveaway

The Killing Cure: Drink

Book One

C.S. Kendall

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Booktrope

Date of Publication: September 24, 2015

ISBN: 978-1513704586

ASIN: 1513704583

Number of pages: 200

Word Count: 63,871

Cover Artist: Shari Ryan

Book Description:

Childhood friendship turns to love in this dark reimagining of the fountain of youth. In 1919, Charlie returns from WWI and gives his heart to Julia. As their love story begins, tragedy strikes when Julia contracts a deadly illness.

On her deathbed, dreams of a future together shatter, but Charlie refuses to give up, convincing Julia to drink from a vial of “healing waters” his war buddy swore would bring spontaneous healing. Julia's miraculous recovery brings hope, but the water's murderous side effects snuff out the couple’s short-lived joy.

Can Charlie help Julia fight the water's call to kill? All their efforts may be in vain when Julia has to choose between running from the curse or embracing it in order to save Charlie.

Journey with Julia and Charlie through a love story that spans a hundred years and an age-old curse that spans more and worse, puts Charlie’s life and Julia’s soul at risk.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/NLNDojMxckQ

Amazon     BN

Excerpt:

She wheeled me to our meeting place. Charlie was not sitting on the lumpy couch like he usually was; instead, he stood, his feet almost bouncing as they met the ground. His eyes were bright, his smile bigger than I’d ever seen.

As soon as we were alone, I asked, "What are you so happy about?"

"First," he said and then kissed me. "Second, I’m happy because today you’re going to get well."

I hardly had the energy to lift my gaze to his face. "Can you sit, please?"

"Oh sure, of course. See, I knew you’d beat this thing. It only became clear to me today how it would happen. I took the next train as soon as I knew."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sorry. Okay." He took a deep breath and tried again. "Do you remember my war buddy Arnold I told you about?"

"Was he the one who wanted to be the horse doctor or the one with the bizarre obsession with water?"

"The water." Charlie’s eyes lit, and he pulled a chain from his pocket. On the end of it was a small vial with a clear liquid in it. "All I’ve thought about since I left you last was how I couldn’t lose you. I racked my brain all week long, prayed to God for you when I should've been sleeping, until the answer came this morning. I remembered I had it. You should've heard how he carried on and on about this water, how it would heal, how he went through h*ll to get it but it was worth it should he ever need it. And I thought, ‘Why let it go to waste?’ Especially now that you need it so badly. Obviously there was a reason I held on to the water. It wasn’t clear until now."

"Oh, I love you. But there's no such thing as healing waters. You said yourself he was superstitious."

"I know I did, but what if there's more to it than I thought? I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before."

About the Author:

C.S. Kendall spent her formative years growing up in the small town of McPherson, KS. As such, there was not much to do, so her imagination, which always lagged behind her age, had free reign. From playing dress up into her teens, recording radio shows with various voices and storylines with her friends, to dappling with the art of crafting a novel, there were few dull moments for her. Enter adulthood, a day job, and the backburner. But story came calling, and finally, her imagination woke up and answered. Though she loves and is fulfilled by her job as a social work therapist, she equally enjoys running away in her mind to imaginary lands with made up people. She lives happily with her husband and their two amazing children in southwest Michigan.

Learn more by visiting http://cskendall.net

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cskendallbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CSKendallwrites

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/C.S.-Kendall/e/B015UEF7IK/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9836561.C_S_Kendall

Interview

Where are you from?

A little bit of everywhere! :) I consider myself to have grown up in the middle of Kansas, but my family has roots in Michigan and after a fair amount of moving around, that's where I've ended up with my own family.

Tell us your latest news?

My debut novel, The Killing Cure: Drink just released! That's probably the biggest thing going on right now. But I did just send book two of the same series off to my editor, so that's pretty darn exciting too!

When and why did you begin writing?

I've really been writing all along. I guess I got my start in the 3rd grade. I had this awesome teacher named Mrs. Boyce who was passionate about writing. She had our class write stories consistently throughout the year, published them into little booklets and even sent them to our Principal. He read every single one and even gave gold seals to the ones he thought deserved special attention. That year I wrote over one hundred books, the most in my class. I couldn't get enough. I followed up that experience by taking her after school creative writing class the next year. From that moment on, the idea of writing a novel was already in the back of my mind, but I didn't give it a serious shot until about three years ago. As for the "why," there are a few reasons. But mostly I have a wild imagination and I live inside my head. Writing gets all that rampant craziness outside my brain in a way that also provides an outlet and keeps me sane.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I am still getting used to this idea. I think I'm almost there, but it wasn't really until the book was out and I had feedback from readers. To find out that people actually latched on to something I wrote, got lost in the story, and enjoyed it--that helped me feel legitimate.

What inspired you to write your first book?

The Killing Cure: Drink is my debut novel, but it isn't my first book. My first book was written following a difficult situation in our lives that I needed to process. I didn't realize it necessarily at first, but that book was an important step in my healing from what my family had been through and a stepping stone to ultimately writing my debut.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I would say the style of my writing is fast-paced. It isn't flowery or over-descriptive, but the story moves quickly while keeping the reader grounded at the same time.

How did you come up with the title?

I first came up with a few ideas. I liked the oxymornonical nature of "The Killing Cure," and I thought it so aptly described the book. My female protag is inflicted with a life-threatening illness, so she takes a "cure" offered to her by her beloved. It's a superstitious long-shot in her mind, but she does it for him. The cure makes her well but it turns her into a murderer, requiring her to replenish the life giving power of the water she drank (which turns out to be from the true fountain of youth) with the lives of others. Thus, the cure ultimately kills. Then of course I looked on Amazon to see if that title was taken, and it was not. Lastly I decided this would be the name of the series, so book one is called "Drink," as this drink of water was what set The Killing Cure in motion.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Just that there's always a choice, and we are responsible to make it. That no matter how controlled we feel by other things--addiction, depression, relationships, whatever...we CAN rise above. Hopefully most people don't fight murderous impulses like my protag Julia, but she's an example of how something can fight to take over all of who you are. But there's always a way out. Always.

How much of the book is realistic?

Well, the majority of it takes place in 1919, but there is an alternating storyline that is set present-day. Other than the magical fountain of youth that demands lives for the life it grants, it's pretty realistic. :)

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

There are glimpses of both. There are a few things in the relationship between Julia and Charlie that echo my early dating life with my husband. Most everything else in the book has its origin in my imagination. But we are influenced by our own experiences as well as by the people we know, and I think some of that can’t help but work its way into the stuff we write.

What books have most influenced your life most?

Growing up I was big into mystery books. As a kid I read all the Hardy Boys books, Mary Higgins Clark and Nancy Drew. Into my teens I enjoyed Steven King and then sometime after my teen years (ahem) loved the entire Harry Potter series. I have a very eclectic range of interests in books and enjoy most types of literature. Most formative for me, though, would have to be those early mystery reads.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

In the past, any of those authors  I mentioned earlier, just because of how they captivated my imagination and stirred in me a desire to escape to it and ultimately to give others the opportunity to do the same through my own works. Currently, I'm loving Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles. She does a great job of making each of her characters jump off the page and weaves her stories together with creativity and craft. Actually I read her books out of order by complete accident. I kept thinking there had to be more background to the story, but even so, I had no trouble getting right into the book and reading it all the way through. It wasn't until the very end that I'd realized my mistake!

What book are you reading now?

I'm reading "Scarlet" by Marissa Meyer from her Lunar Chronicles series.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

What are your current projects?

I have book two off for the first round of edits. Time to outline book three! I also have another book I wrote that I am currently editing and plan to send off in the pursuit of an agent. In addition to those, I have a standalone book that's been nagging me. It's outlined, but I have to get the words down.

What would you like my readers to know?

I would love to let your readers know how much I appreciate them taking the time to read through this interview and check out my book. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be on this blog today, and I hope to connect with some of you!

Tour giveaway

$20 Amazon gift card

5 ebook copies

a Rafflecopter giveaway