Friday, December 30, 2016

Sarah by Teri Polen


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Teri Polen will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Pretend your protagonist is at school and opens his/her locker – what will we see inside?

Cain isn’t known for his neatness – his mom says he lives like a pig (Cain prefers the term survivalist). His locker has several bottles of Gatorade and protein drinks in varying degrees of emptiness, the latest copy of The Walking Dead graphic novel, three pairs of soccer cleats, five shin guards (the match to his favorite Nike one never turned up), a picture of Lindsey on the door, and Finn’s annotated copy of Gone With The Wind – Cain has to read it for English Lit and Finn got an A on his report last year.

What would you write in a letter to your teen self?

This is advice I’ve given to my sons – and I wish it would have been my mantra as a teen. Life is too short to worry about what others think of you – focus on yourself and what makes you happy, figure out your goals, and work towards them. Everything else will fall into place.

What candy do you give out at Halloween?

I deliberately try to buy something I know I won’t eat – if it’s anything chocolate or peanut butter, there’s no way it will last until Halloween – so I usually buy something like Skittles, Almond Joy (I hate coconut), or Starburst. I don’t care for sour candy, so that’s also a possibility.

What superpower would you love to have? Why?

When my son was younger, he loved asking questions like this. I’d love to fly. Our extended family is spread across several states and we’ve had more road trips than I can count. Flying and avoiding all the traffic, fast food places, and whining from the back seat would be a dream come true!

Sum up your book for Twitter: 140 characters or less.

I did this for Twitter pitches – and it’s one of the hardest things I’ve done! ‘A dangerous bet, vengeful ghost, dead bodies, hot new g/f. Cain only wished for one of these Sr yr – instead, he got all four.’ It got me a few likes from agents and publishers.

Favorite hot beverage. Why?

I’m not a tea or coffee drinker – and many of my friends and family find that oddly disturbing. If we meet at a Starbucks or local coffee place, I usually have to take my own Diet Coke (nectar of the gods as far as I’m concerned). But I love a good hot chocolate in the winter.

Which of your characters would you most like to meet IRL? Why?

I’d love to meet Finn, Cain’s best friend. There are no hidden agendas with him – you always know where you stand, he has a wicked sense of humor, is fiercely loyal to his friends, and he was such fun to write. Sometimes his responses were entirely unexpected.

Thanks so much for having me on Books in the Hall and helping to promote Sarah!

Seventeen-year-old horror fan Cain Shannon thought helping a ghost find her killers would be the supernatural adventure of a lifetime. Now, he just hopes to survive long enough to protect his family and friends from her.

A bet between friends goes horribly wrong, resulting in Sarah’s death. When she returns to seek justice against those responsible, Cain agrees to help her. But when he discovers Sarah has been hijacking his body, he realizes she wants retribution instead of justice.

Terrified of what could have happened when he wasn’t in control, Cain commands Sarah to leave his house - but exorcising her isn’t that easy. She retaliates against her murderers in bloody, horrific ways, each death making her stronger, then sets her sights on Cain. With the help of friends, Cain fights to save himself and his loved ones and searches for a way to stop Sarah before she kills again.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Squatting down to sort through the box, my elbow nudged one of the balls and it bounced across the floor a couple of times before I stopped it. When I picked it up to toss it back in the box, I noticed a splotch of red on one side. It was glistening, like the spot was wet, and after running my finger across the ball, I brought it closer for a sniff.

I knew that smell. With the multitude of soccer injuries I’d received over the years, the copperish tangy aroma of blood was all too familiar. Wait - blood? Was Eby injured somewhere up here? But I’d looked around and knew for certain he wasn’t here. Had I stepped on something and cut myself? When I looked down to check my feet, that’s when I saw it. A circular pool of blood on the floor about a foot in diameter. How had I missed this? It hadn’t been here when Finn and I were looking around last night. One of us would have noticed this.

So how did blood get here in the past twenty-four hours?

Then I felt it. Frigid air wrapped itself around me, like it was a living, breathing entity, causing me to gasp. When I let out a shaky exhale, I could see my breath. In a 90 plus degree attic. My gaze shot down to the floor where the blood had been.

It was gone.

About the Author:
Teri Polen loves horror, sci-fi, and fantasy books and movies. She fangirls over The Walking Dead, Harry Potter, and anything Marvel-related. She lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband, sons, and black cat.

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/TPolen6
WEBSITE: https://www.teripolen.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TeriPolenAuthor
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/Teri-Polen/e/B01MYOUA6V
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16114393.Teri_Polen

a Rafflecopter giveaway

21 comments:

  1. Congrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)

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    1. Thanks for your support during this blog tour, Lisa - I really appreciate it!

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    1. Thanks, John - you should know almost everything about me by now!

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  3. I have enjoyed the tour. The book sounds great.

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    1. So have I, Rita - thanks for following me to the stops!

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  4. I love a good hot cocoa. Ever tried one with a shot of almond syrup? Absolutely to die for! Anyway, thanks for the tour, and looking forward to checking the book out!

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    1. That's something I've never tried - but guess what I'm doing tomorrow? Hope you enjoy Sarah, Melinda!

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  5. You hate coconut? OMG, Almond Joys are one of my favorite candy bars, LOL. I would definitely trick or treat at your house on Halloween, Teri :)

    Another great interview. It's been a fun tour!

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    1. Make you a deal - I'll give you the coconut and you give me your chocolate. Totally fair.

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  6. It's been fun following the tour and learning about Sarah. It sounds like a book I'll enjoy reading and I'm definitely going to be checking it out. Thanks for sharing:)

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    1. Thanks for your support, Victoria - hope you had as much fun as I did and that Sarah inspires you to sleep with the lights on!

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  7. Congrats on the book tour. Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

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  8. Congrats on the book and the tour! Thank you for sharing an excerpt and offering a Giveaway! I love a good ghost story. Happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks, Bea - always been a fan of ghost stories myself. Happy New Year to you also!

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    1. I'd love for you to read my book also, Bridgett!

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  10. Great candy strategy. You are obviously smart. :-) Congrats on your book and here's wishing you the very best this year.

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  11. Thanks! Someone gave me peanut butter and chocolate Santas this weekend for Christmas - gave them to my son and told him to hide them ASAP. Hoping I don't get desperate and tear his room apart to find them!

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