Sunday, May 4, 2014

Captive by Samantha Jacobey Excerpt, Guest Post and Giveaway


Captive - A New Life Series


Formerly Life of Recovery

To what lengths would you go to break away from a life filled with pain and suffering?

Tori Farrell has lived a dangerous life. When you grow up with a Motorcycle Gang of Mercenaries and Drug Lords like the Dragons, a normal life is more like a fairytale. For years, she accepted her dark reality, a world consisting of drugs, sex, violence and murder. In the end, she learned the most valuable lesson: survival.

After years of being ruled by the Dragons, Tori uses her skills of seduction and assassination to free herself from the grasp of the people who vowed they would never let her go. Taken in by the FBI, she fears not everything is what it seems, and soon finds herself lost in a web of lies and deceit. She thought getting away from the Dragons would put her on a path to a new and better life, but now she must face the cold hard truth” there is always a price to be paid.

˃˃˃ Excerpt

"Quietly, he explained to her that he was going to arrange for another group to kill the Dragons and send her to live with someone who would take care of her. Not understanding, she asked why she would have to go with someone else. If the Dragons were dead, why couldn't she just go with him? He refused to explain, and simply said, "You are going to have a different life, baby girl. A life I cannot give you. You must be strong and willing to do whatever it takes to make this happen. Promise me you will do this...."

˃˃˃ Book 1 of 7 in A New Life Series

This is the first in a series that chronicles the life of a young woman who is raised by a group of men who work as freelance mercenaries in the dark world of drug trafficking and murder for hire. They acquired the young woman at a very young age, as she has no memory of life before them. The book opens as she has broken free and moves through a series of current events and flashbacks that explain the beginning of her story. It is very dark with an unfinished feel, because in the end, the past is not the real story - the real story is what happens from here.

˃˃˃ WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES

This book is intended for readers 18+ and contains scenes that may cause distress to some readers: Domestic Abuse, Kidnapping, Rape and Substance Abuse are described in detail.






































































Guest Post:
The voices in my head… by  Samantha Jacobey

My dad used to say I made noise to hear my head rattle. Yup, he said that, many times. I never realized how annoying it was to other people until I became the mother of a noisy child, but my youngest son is just like me. Mind always turning, ideas popping, things to question, and stories to make up and modify. When I became a writer, a real one that actually puts words on paper, I began to have a much greater understanding of what it means to be an author, and soon realized it is more than just listening to the voices in my head and spitting it out any old way.
The first thing that I would tell anyone who is trying to write a book or a story is to take your time. By that, I mean to say that we always seem to be in a rush in our modern world, but writing is something that takes a lot of time in every aspect. I see this in my readers, especially some of the reviews that they leave and the comments that they make, when all they want to do is get to the end. I think it’s ok to have goals and deadlines, but as a writer, it is important to slow down the process and allow the things you are doing to be considered and weighed before they are accepted and finalized. The same goes for reading – some things are better if they are left in limbo for a period of time before you rush into the next dramatic turn of events. That’s how we gain insight, and possible meanings and outcomes beyond the ones that leap easily to mind.
The second thing that I would advise about writing is to revise, revise, revise. I have joined many groups and love to hear about what they think and do, and one of the most often discussed topics is editing and revisions. That is to say, it’s the thing we cry about most. Why? Because it isn’t easy and it eats away at point number one – time. It turns out, it is also the more important aspect to me of the two. Pouring the words onto the page is great, but the real beauty comes out when I read them a few days later, and mold them a little, pulling out the parts that make the story sluggish and adding the details that make the plot pop. I have heard from many how much they love my style, and how everything fits, and so on, but quite honestly, it didn’t get that way by accident – it took a lot of work and structure to make it what it is.
The final thing that I think makes a good story are the voices that you are listening to. Sure, there are all kinds of tales to tell, and if what they are saying isn’t exciting, then why would anyone else want to hear them? That’s where you have to decide if your story is really worth sharing. And if it is, what angle are you going to use to present it? I love when people share those little quotes and quips on Facebook that make us think about things, and my author page is filled with the ones that really struck home with me. One of them says that the antagonist is the protagonist in their own version of the story. I love this, and try to keep that in mind when I am thinking about motivations, actions, and outcomes within my story, as well as who’s point of view is going to be the one doing the telling.

Although these three aspects of writing can make it seem like work, and don’t get me wrong it should be fun, but it is work too, following my advice will bring about better results when writing. A well written story is more than just hacking out a plot. There also needs to be direction and a finished quality that would be near impossible to achieve without them. I just wish we could have a chance to edit our conversations the same way we can make changes to our novels. Oh wait, that’s why we learn to hold our tongues, watch what we say, and not make noise just to hear our heads rattle.
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