Okay, somehow I managed to get my blog schedule ahead by a week. Everything is sort of cockeyed. Sadly, I didn't notice this until now and I apologize for the confusion. There is a perfectly good reason behind this, though, but one I can't share right now because I have something so much bigger to announce.
You all know how I adore
Aprilynne Pike and her awesomeness. See
here,
here,
here, &
here. A few months ago when she
announced Life After Theft, a book she started working on back in 2006, was going to be published next year, I got really excited. Here is an author who has already published a best-selling series, but is finally going to see her "baby" out there on the shelves. If that's not inspiration, I don't know what is. I remember reading about her writing
LAT and thinking "Gosh, I really hope she publishes this because it sounds like a fun story." Well, folks the wait is almost over.
Though the book doesn't officially come out til April 2013, Aprilynne has graciously allowed me to share a teaser from Life After Theft with you all exclusively on fangs, felines, fins, & fun fiction. But wait, there is more....
She's also allowed me to do a cover reveal AND wait for it...
wait for it...
wait for it...
You ready for this?
An ARC giveaway. Yes, you read correctly.
AN ARC GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!
Have I mentioned how awesome Aprilynne is??? The cover will be revealed
Tuesday October 23 and the ARC giveaway contest rules. Check back in a couple of days and be sure to bring your friends too.
Okay enough blabbing. Here is what you've all been waiting for and without further ado, let me present a snippet from the long awaiting
Life After Theft:
When we reached what looked like the face of a
mini-cliff she took two running steps and jumped, and basically floated
into the cave.
I was stuck ten feet below. “You suck,” I shouted.
“Wimp. There are handholds all the way up. That’s
how I did it when I was alive.”
I found a ledge for my foot and stepped up to
reach for one with my arms. In a few seconds I had four limbs on little ledges
and was sure I looked like a bug clinging to the wall for dear life—all of
three feet above a sandy beach. I looked up to Kimberlee for help. She was
staring out at the sea. A gust of wind made her skirt flutter suddenly, giving
me an eyeful. I froze, lost my balance, and slid down the rock. Or, more
accurately, fell sprawling into the sand.
“Perv,” Kimberlee said with a sinister laugh that
made me remember that wind couldn’t touch her clothes. Only Kimberlee had any
effect on Kimberlee’s clothes.
“Don’t do that again,” I said darkly. At least not while I’m clinging to the side
of a cliff. Without looking at Kimberlee I started to climb again, more
carefully this time. It took me about three tries and at least ten minutes, but
I made it. I peered back down at the beach. The climb looked a lot shorter from
up top. “Okay,” I said as I scrambled to my feet. “Where’s the stuff?”
She tilted her head to the back of the cave. I
turned and blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. When they finally did,
my jaw dropped.
There must have been a hundred boxes stacked in
the back of the cave, which was way deeper than I’d expected. “A few things? A few things! Are you insane?” My voice
echoed through the cave, repeating my words back to me.
“Jeff . . .” Her voice was uncharacteristically
quiet.
“This is ridiculous. You lied to me.”
“I did not.”
“No one in their right mind would ever classify this as ‘a few things.’
You lied to get me up here and hoped you could just flutter your eyes and it
would be all better. Well, it’s not.” I backed away from the massive pile of
boxes. “I’m not doing this.”
“Jeff . . .”
“I should call the cops,” I said as I backed away.
No way could I return all this stuff on my own, not in any reasonable amount of
time. “I’ll bet they could—”
“No!” Kimberlee shouted, running after me. “They’d
just confiscate it all. Then I’d be stuck here forever! Jeff, please.”
“No. I’m leaving,” I said, as much to myself as to
Kimberlee, “and I am not coming
back.” I looked over the edge and tried to find the handholds I had used
climbing up. It’s only ten feet. Just
jump! I let myself down as far as I could while holding on to the ledge,
then tried to fall slowly. My feet hit the sand a moment before my ass did. My
tailbone stung, but at least I was out of the klepto cave. I looked over at my
car and forced myself to walk calmly instead of running—which would probably
make me fall and look like an idiot.
Again.
Kimberlee was right beside me. “They’re
organized,” she pleaded. “It’ll be easy. A bag for each person. The boxes are
sorted by category. A couple of trips and we’ll be done.”
By category?
“A couple of trips? A couple of
trips? Maybe if I had a semi. That,” I said pointing up at the cave, “is a lot
of stuff, Kimberlee. You have a problem.”
“Had.”
“What?”
She shrugged. “Can’t do it anymore, can I?” She
laughed shakily for a few seconds before falling silent.
