Friday, October 17, 2014

The Shed by Dianne Hartsock [Book Tour and Giveaway]



The Shed
by Dianne Hartsock


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BLURB:

As a Certified Mental Health Therapist, Scott Reid has his share of interesting experiences, though nothing compares with the time he spends with the psychic, Alex Elson. Plagued by terrifying images and dreams, Alex turns to Doctor Reid in the hopes of learning to control his visions. Instead, Scott is pulled into Alex’s world, where dreams and reality mix and nightmares are real.

Two young men, brothers, have been abducted from the lake outside of Oakton without a trace of who took them. That is, until Alex receives a silver pocket watch in the mail belonging to the elder brother, a taunt from the kidnapper for Alex to come find them. Alex’s visions turn at once into nightmares. Images flash in his mind of an abandoned well and a terrified, lonely boy slowly dying at the bottom. The shed looms close by, holding a horrifying secret, a dark place Alex’s frightened mind refuses to go.

With the help of Scott Reid, Alex endeavors to control his visions and find the brutalized victims before death claims them. But the watch is ticking away and time’s running out.




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EXCERPT

He glanced around, self-conscious. Sure enough, it had been the banner for Art Peters’s studio that had grabbed his attention. He gazed hungrily through the front window and encountered a pair of bright blue eyes and a wide smile on Arthur’s face as he stared back. Oh God. Panic swept through him. Should he go in? Could he pretend he hadn’t seen him and walk away?

Trying for casual, Scott lifted his hand in a wave then continued down the sidewalk, hoping to escape. He wasn’t so lucky, and stiffened when he heard the door to the art gallery open and Arthur call his name. He waited, steadying his breath as footsteps came up beside him.

“Good morning,” he managed before his mouth went dry. The top of Arthur’s curly head barely reached Scott’s chin, perfect to rest his head on if they hugged. A smile tugged the corner of Scott’s mouth. The man certainly dressed well, and that red tie… He blinked away the erotic image that burst in his mind of that tie and not much else on Arthur’s compact body.

Arthur gave him a quizzical glance. “Stalking me, honey? You know, you could have come in for a closer look.”

Scott’s jaw dropped in surprise and he quickly turned his face away to hide the hurt in his eyes. “Not at all,” he answered coolly and started away, wanting to put distance between him and the man who seemed to enjoy mocking him.




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Author Inspiration

The inspiration for my stories comes from all different sources, music or scenery or a conversation. With THE SHED, we were driving through the countryside last winter. It was starkly beautiful, frost in the meadows and shimmering on bare tree limbs. Cold sunlight in an ice blue sky. We passed farm houses and tumbled down barns buried in weeds. It was the small, outer buildings, abandoned, covered in brambles, that began to tug at my imagination.

A little over three years ago I wrote my first novel, ALEX, which is the story that comes before THE SHED. ALEX is the story of a twenty-something year old psychic who's having gruesome visions of the victims of a serial killer in the area. Through a summer of mental anguish and physical pain, flashbacks of a tortured childhood and the rallying of close friends, Alex wins through and helps the police catch the killers.

Driving through the winter landscape, seeing the desolate buildings, a kernel of an idea formed. What would happen next to Alex and his friends? He still has visions. What is going on in his life now? THE SHED picks up immediately from where ALEX leaves off, but where ALEX is told from his point of view, THE SHED is told mostly from the perspective of his mental health specialist, Scott Reid. Dealing with the scars of his own childhood, Scott is in the unique position to empathize and help Alex as he learns to control his visions rather than blindly following them.    

Though THE SHED is mostly about the kidnapping and brutalization of two young men and the heroes' drive to try and save them, it also has the underlying stories of Alex's battle to have a normal life and Scott Reid's attempt to give love one more try with Art Peters, a local art dealer. Coming from an abusive background, Scott is reluctant to give his heart to anyone, but throughout the book, while Scott helps Alex build a better life, Art Peters slowly and tenderly tears down the bricks around Scott's heart and shows him how to love again.

Thank you all for stopping in!


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Dianne grew up in one of the older houses in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. It’s where her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from. Dianne now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play.

She says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house while it pours rain outside, a fire crackles on the hearth inside, and a cup of hot coffee warms her hands which kindles her imagination.

Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.

Blog: http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/diannehartsock

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/diannehartsock

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4707011-dianne-hartsock

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Dianne-Hartsock/e/B005106SYQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1361897239&sr=8-1

ARe Books: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html

THE SHED

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shed-Dianne-Hartsock-ebook/dp/B00KXH186K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402609466&sr=8-1&keywords=dianne+hartsock

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-shed-dianne-hartsock/1119716446?ean=2940149418244

Solstice Publishing:  http://solsticepublishing.com/search.php?search_query=DIANNE+HARTSOCK&x=0&y=0



GIVEAWAY

Dianne will be awarding a A $25 Gift Card from Amazon plus an e-copy of ALEX, the first book in the series to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.





a Rafflecopter giveaway


7 comments:

  1. Happy you liked it, Rita! Thanks for stopping by. :)

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  2. Thank you book obsession for having me as your guest today. :)

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  3. It was interesting to read about the Author Inspiration. It's amazing where and how idea come together for an author.

    ShirleyAnn(at)speakman40(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

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    1. Thanks for coming by, ShirleyAnn! I'm sure inspiration is different for each author, I'm just very happy it comes to me. :)

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    1. Glad you liked it, Serean! Thank you for stopping in. This is one of my favorite excerpts too. :)

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