It gives me great pleasure to welcome S.L. Eaves to my blog today for the launch of her novel The Endangered.
Luthando Coeur is pleased to announce the
upcoming publication of The Endangered, by S.L. Eaves on Sept. 4. This is a
fast-paced fantasy action tale which shifts between the contemporary urban
settings of New York and London. Eaves
combines a knack for relatable dialogue with a tremendous premise to bring
forth a remarkable piece of writing.
S&D Industries is a prominent
pharmaceutical company based in New York.
It has, for many years, appeared to exist only for the benefit of
humanity, and this year's chief product seems no different. The company's CEO, whom we know only as
Striden, announces the imminent delivery of a powerful flu vaccine. The true
purposes of S&D are anything but philanthropic, however. The newly-engineered drug does not protect
against flu. It turns people into
werewolves.
The only group which stands a chance
of resisting this change is a population of vampires. The foremost of them, who go by the name of
The Endangered, are determined to turn back the mass werewolf infestation. Among them are an ambitious rebel named
Catch, and Lori, Catch's newly-turned protege.
Catch has brought this treacherous world to Lori's doorstep and both
their worlds are turned upside-down in the process. Secrets are exposed, alliances are
formed. Blood is spilled as the vampires
must do everything in their power to preserve both their own kind and that of
their food supply.
Author’s Bio:
S.L. Eaves' background is in
marketing, primarily in media and publishing industries. She enjoys
Outside of writing, she's an avid
sports fan and concert goer who enjoys running and biking in her free time and
readily confesses to being bit of a film and television junkie. When home,
she's never without a book in arm’s reach.
The Endangered is her debut novel
and is slated to be the first in a new series from Zharmae Publishing Press,
with the sequel scheduled for 2015.
Author Contact Info:
So who is ready for an excerpt?
"Drive Faster."
80 ... 85 ... 90. The pedal vibrated under my foot.
"I'm
pushing a hundred. These winding roads make it hard.”
Crina
climbed over the front seats and settled into shotgun. She'd been taking care
of Xan, who was unconscious in the back.
"How's
he doing?"
"He
took one hell of a blow to the head, but he'll be okay."
I
turned up the radio to drown out the sound of the police sirens behind us. My
eyes kept darting to the rearview.
There
were two of them back there. At least.
They'd
caught our trail while we were tearing through the city. You could say we had a
police escort out of Los Angeles.
"How
far till Mexico?" Crina was wiping blood off her hands.
"Far.
Dunno. At this rate we're not gonna make it."
"Where
the hell are we anyway?"
"Somewhere
mountainous,” I responded dryly.
"You
shouldn't be driving. You lost a lot of blood."
"Well
right now that’s the least of our problems."
I’d
hotwired an old 90s roadster while Crina was hoisting an unconscious Xan
through the hatchback. An easy steal, but the old beast of a transmission was
fighting me on every turn. It was a miracle we’d made it out of the city at
all.
Headlights
glimpsed the guardrail. We hit a sharp curve, caught some stones in the tires
and skidded through the gravel for a spell. I gripped the wheel tightly,
downshifting. Crina clawed the dash. Xan remained sprawled across the backseat.
We fishtailed, then straightened out.
I
shifted gears and kept my focus on the road ahead.
The
speedometer climbed back over 80 mph. Crina shot me a nervous glance.
"Just
keeping the cops on their toes."
"They'll
be sending out back-up and lots of it… likely include a chopper. We
aren’t going to make it much farther
in this car. We gotta bail."
"Yeah..."
I
hate when she’s right.
Crina
rolled down her window and released her seatbelt. I followed suit.
"We
should've stolen a convertible."
I
grinned, “Next time.”
"There's
a ravine nearby. I smell the water."
There
was a valley down to our left, a fitting host for water. And our escape.
"Something
to aim for. What about Xan?"
An
over-confident Crina was halfway out the window, she ducked back in.
"Can't
toss him. Gotta pull him from the wreckage.”
My
stomach churned. Not what I wanted to hear. Cops were still in tight pursuit.
They would not be relenting anytime soon. Someone blew apart several blocks of
downtown L.A. and we presently carried the titles of Suspect One, Two, and
Three.
Our
options were limited at best. There was a tight bend up ahead.
"Get
ready to bail."
My
foot slammed the accelerator. Crina climbed most of the way out the window,
bracing her feet on the door handle.
"See
you at the bottom," I promised Xan under my breath.
The
road curved sharply to the right.
We
didn't.
The
car went airborne and we ejected mid dive over the rocky and tree filled
terrain. From my own airborne position, I watched as the car clipped the tops
of a few trees and nosedived into the jagged landscape below. Its short-lived plummet was followed by a
dramatic landing as it bounced into tree trunks, flipped over laterally and
eventually rolled to a stop.
I
had similar luck.
My
feet struck the ground, but I didn’t stick the landing. Hurling forward over
some rocks, I bounced along the mountainside until a tree brought me to an
abrupt halt. Still conscious, I lay at its trunk watching the world spin.
Ouch.
Stumbling,
I forced my feet to keep me vertical. My head was spinning. I staggered towards
the light supplied by flames now emanating from the pile of metal and gasoline
that used to be a car. My eyes started to focus as I neared the overturned
vehicle.
"Xan,"
I coughed, holding my rib cage.
Had that fall not jolted him awake? Lucky
bastard.
I
looked around. No sign of Crina.
Hastily,
I pried back the driver's side door and was relieved to see Xan inside, still
unconscious. The fall had tossed him onto the foot well of the back, but he
seemed no worse for wear.
Folding
the driver’s seat forward, I climbed in and slipped my arms under him. Grasping
his underarms, I slid him out from the burning car. Crina caught me as I fell
back under his deadweight. She pulled us both to safety, beating out my pant leg
which had caught fire in the process.
We
took shelter in some dense underbrush. From there we could see the police cars
up the hillside. They were parked, headlights beaming out across the night sky,
illuminating the treetops. I caught the silhouette of an officer as he crossed
the front of a car. We couldn’t spot anyone making their way downhill. Perhaps
they were waiting for fire truck or a medical unit.
"How
are you doing?"
"Okay.
Caught hold of a tree branch mid flight. Made for an easy descent. You?"
"Had
a kinda rough landing. Maybe a few cracked ribs."
Xan
began to stir.
"Xan!"
We both exclaimed.
"What
happened?" his voice was horse and weak. I bent down to hug him.
"Lori!"
He wrapped his arms around me and stayed clenched as I stood up. I grimaced at
his weight on my half-eaten shoulder. Crina took his arms from my neck and
helped him to his feet.
"You
sure you can stand okay?" She asked. He was looking around.
"Where
are we?"
"Somewhere
outside LA." I muttered, bracing myself against a tree. I looked over at
the car a few yards up the hillside. Cops were shining their flashlights
around, but they didn’t quite have the range. The car was completely engulfed
in flames.
"We
have to keep moving," Crina said, "I lost my comm a ways back."
"I
have mine." I popped it out of my ear. It looked intact. I tapped the
button, stuck it back in. Not even static.
"Nothing."
"Damn."
.........
We
continued downhill. Crina had been right. We trudged along the crooked path cut
by the river, crossing when it narrowed. It wasn't long before we were out of
range of the sirens and lights.
Darkness.
Silence.
Both
were refreshing.
Crina
led the way, hacking through the foliage. Xan and I stumbled along behind. A
good hour passed. None of us spoke much. I felt dizzy, nauseous, exhausted ...
Eventually
we reached a clearing.
"Break
time." I proclaimed, dropping flat on my back, letting the soft earth
break my fall. Crina and Xan joined me.
We
lay there taking in the beautiful, crystal clear night sky. And a full moon,
apparently, illuminating the field around us.
"Full
moon tonight. Amidst everything I’d forgotten."
"So
had I," Crina sighed, "Ironic now, I suppose."
"Where
is everyone else?" Xan asked absently.
"That's
a good question."
I
reached into Xan’s cargo pocket, fishing around.
“Feeling
frisky,” he joked. I removed my hand, displaying the cigarettes and zippo he’d
been holding for me.
“Oh,
right,” he laughed as I winked at him.
I
lit one. The sensation of smoke filled my lungs.
Crina
reached across and slid one from the pack. She didn’t smoke, I didn’t comment.
Just flipped open the lighter. I gave them back to Xan, who hadn’t moved since
our collapse.
“And
yet you still managed to start a fire,” Xan played with my zippo. He took a cig
from the pack, now resting on his stomach, and craned his neck to light
it.
After
a moment.
"Does
this mean it's over?" Crina was propped up on her elbows.
"I
don't know."
She
craned her neck for a better glimpse at the moon.
Xan
groaned. "My head is splitting."
I
reached out and ran my fingers through his hair.
"My
head ... is full of static. The comm!"
I
sat up with a jolt. Hand on my earpiece.
Static
came over my comm, followed by a faint voice. I couldn't make it out. My ears
were still ringing from the blast. I handed the comm to Crina.
"Thought
I heard a transmission. See if you have any luck."
Crina
put the piece to her ear. Pushing the button in.
"Hello.
Anyone hear me? Hello."
I
closed my eyes, relaxing on the moist earth. The blades of grass pricked my
skin. It was a warm night. A perfect night.
It
was not enough.
I
had heard a voice over the comm. A voice that sounded like Catch's.
So where can I get my hands on The Endangered?
Direct From Amazon
Barnes & Noble
So where can I get my hands on The Endangered?
Direct From Amazon
Barnes & Noble
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