Tuesday 24 January 2012

Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "Southern Superstitions"




Rod joined the search party to help investigate his dad's disappearance. It'd disbanded at nightfall and picked up the search again at daybreak, but they'd found no sign of his dad. Rod guided a canoe deep into the marshes and swamps. He'd hunted with his father many times in these wetlands so he knew where to check. No word or sign of his father made the cold, Christmas season stab like an ice pick, and his heart ached for his mother, left alone.

He slid the canoe through a wall of cypress trees, deeper and deeper into the heart of the swamp. He figured his father headed for the hills. White cranes flew from the cypress limbs. The canoe hit a cypress knee, and Rod gently eased it around a few more. The way they stuck out of the shallow water, like protruding nubs, they reminded him of his grandmother's warning finger wagging in his face. They could tear a hole in the bottom of a boat. Thank God my boat survived the lick. Maybe that's what happened to Dad.

Finally, after twelve hours of searching, Rod spotted his dad's pirogue on the side of the hill, where they'd hunted the previous year. He tied his canoe to a tree limb. "Dad!" He raced to the dome tent and unzipped the door. "Dad?" The tent looked as if his dad made camp, but hadn't yet used it. The sleeping bag was still rolled up in a corner. The butt of his dad's 30-30 stuck out from under a sleeping bag. The supplies were still there. Outside, there was no sign of a campfire. It looked as though he never got to hunt. There was no sign of him. Where was he?

Rod picked up the rifle and carried it back to his canoe. He left the other items in case his dad returned looking for them.
They searched until dark. Rod dreaded giving his mother the disappointing news. She'd worry even more, because the pirogue was in perfect condition and so was the tent. No leaking pirogue kept him from coming home. The campsite looked peaceful and serene, not like anything bad had happened, but still there was no sign of his father.

Mom's on pins and needles, yet she clings to her faith and trust in God. I hear her faithfully pray for Dad's safe return. Maybe she won't fall apart when she hears the news but oh, how I dread having to tell her.

A Favorite Line: It was faith in God that would bring her husband home. Even a lucky penny or a dime declared, In God we trust.



B. J. Robinson writes inspirational Christian fiction in the romantic suspense genre from Florida, where she lives with her husband, a cat named Frankie, a cocker spaniel named Sunflower, and a golden retriever named Honi. Sunflower is a character in her first romantic suspense, Last Resort. Her children are grown and have made her a grandmother multiple times. She won first prize for her short story in college, the one from which she developed Southern Superstitions, and it was published in the university's literary magazine. She developed her love for mystery through Nancy Drew books, her love for reading from her mother, who read fairytales to her before she began school, and her fifth grade teacher, who read the entire Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series to the class. Her love for writing came from God and her third grade teacher who submitted her first published story about her dog to a local newspaper. She's been writing ever since, and her first college essay was published. Her prize-winning short story has been published multiple times. She promises to take her readers on a continuous journey to another world. Reading and writing are her passions, and Jesus is her best friend. Visit her at http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com.

View the book trailer for Southern Superstitions here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNoo962DbF0&feature=share

Author Shawna K. Williams endorses Southern Superstitions by B. J. Robinson. She says, " Southern Superstitions is an inspirational story that’s full of personality, as well as intricacy in the way it explores the complexities of family and the conflict between faith and luck. Barbara does a great job at pulling together the deeply rooted superstitions of the South and entwining them into a suspenseful tale of faith, romance and endurance. I especially enjoyed the setting and culture of the deep South."

Read the first review here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RTXVLYH2JV0H3

Get a PDF file that may be read on your laptop or computer here, or ePub file. http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-249/Southern-Superstition-BJ-Robinson/Detail.bok

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/StoreFront.bok Get the free companion book to Southern Superstitions here. They're side-by-side on the homepage of the publisher's.

http://www.acfw.com/blog/?p=2222 Enjoy an article on crafting a villain here.

Read the first two chapters free here and purchase for your Amazon Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Superstitions-ebook/dp/B006X8GAWA/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326620592&sr=1-6

Southern Superstitions will be available at Barnes and Noble.com, Sony, Kobo, etc. but Amazon is the first to offer it.

6 comments:

  1. Great post.I haven't read the book yet but I plan to. God bless you and keep writing.

    Glenda Parker
    http://glendaparkerfictionwriter.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much, Glenda. Appreciate it. Blessings, BJ

    ReplyDelete
  3. B. J. Your book sounds intriguing. I've seen the Cypress knees many times here in Florida.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very atmospheric - I could picture the scene perfectly and it's not a place I'm familiar with. Good luck with the book.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love this, very intriguing would love to read it!!! Very vivid details!!!
    In Christs Love
    Michelle!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks, June, Angela, and Michelle. Glad you can picture it in your minds. Blessings, BJ

    ReplyDelete