Posts Tagged ‘Goodreads’

Guest Post: How I Created the Life of My Dreams – by Laura Emily

Posted: September 1, 2018 in guest post, Recommended Reading
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Embracing Your Divinity

Laura Emily teaches us to appreciate and notice our inner being.

By taking the reader on a journey through her own experiences, Laura teaches us to listen to the universe and allow ourselves to follow the path the universe is trying to take us on. She tries to make us understand that even though we may not think the universe is on our side or that things are not meant to happen, something has not happened yet because we, as individuals, are not yet ready to receive this event. Once we accept the universe’s plan and allow things to happen, whether they are good or bad, only then can we truly reach our full potential.

Purchase links for Embracing Your Divinity
Amazon UK CLICK HERE
Amazon US CLICK HERE

 

Author bio

Laura Emily, also known as The Happiness Coach, considers it her mission in life to help uplift the planet and encourage a shift in the consciousness that people have today. Laura currently does one to-one coaching through her website, http://www.beagoodsoul.com, to help others achieve their goals, fulfill their dreams and awaken their connection to the Universe.

Social media links
YouTube: CLICK HERE
Facebook: CLICK HERE
Twitter: CLICK HERE
Instagram: CLICK HERE

Book trailer

Book trailer on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFWWundlbIE

Excerpt

“I enjoyed every day and was grateful for every morning, every afternoon and every evening. I
surrounded myself with people I loved and people who made me feel great. As the months rolled on
I started visualising my life to come surrounded by great friends and a wonderful man. I did not
visualise this to bring it to me, I visualised it only because it made me feel wonderful. Looking back
I can see how aligned I was to the Universe because I spent everyday happy. I would drive to work
and say in my mind, ‘I have the most amazing husband, friends and family.’ Eventually, this image
of a handsome stranger became a familiar image in my mind. I saw a checked shirt and an
impressive physique with thick hair that I could run my hands through and a sense of humour that
always kept my cheeks rosy. Many times in my visions he would stop by for a cup of tea and ask
for ‘a real cup of tea made by a real English lady,’ as he was not English himself. Sometimes I
would imagine him busy at work in his office, sometimes I would imagine him relaxed and playing
his guitar to me and sometimes we just danced in the rain in Central Park. One of my most popular
visions was him and I walking through the park, dancing, talking, laughing and sometimes he
would stop me in my tracks and sing to me. He adored me and his spirit made me fly. To me, he
was real. He was so real that anytime I felt down I would go to him in my mind. I remember a
particular time that I was feeling incredibly sad and I was crying in my car on my way home. I
relaxed myself and went within and poured my words out to myself. I spoke out all my feelings and
frustrations, but I did it as if I was with him and telling him about my day. After I had done this I
naturally visualised his response. He was so gentle with me, he was kind, he spoke to me with love
and comforted me. To be honest, I did not even realise I was doing this because it just all came so
naturally. Like I said, he was real to me and after he comforted me I felt a lot happier.
“Then, one day, after having an inspiring conversation with my older brother, I decided to book
a trip to New York City. It was a place I had been to a couple of times and have always wanted to
eventually live once I found a way of doing so. After hanging up the phone with my brother I
walked into my job that day and told my boss I would be leaving. Many people laughed at me,
some told me I was irresponsible but I was making decisions with my heart now, not my head, and
in that month my life changed once and for all.

“On August 8, 2015, two weeks before I was due to fly, a message popped through on a social
media website from a handsome gentleman in the United States. When I say handsome, I mean the
most handsome man I had ever seen with the kindest blue eyes, the biggest smile and the most
intoxicating laugh I had ever heard. After a brief chat, he wished me well and left the conversation.
I was desperate to talk more. I did not know his name or where he was from but I wanted to. I
wanted to know everything about him. It was not just how I felt about him, it was how he had made
me feel through a few words we had shared back and forth. He had so much energy it was
infectious.

“The next day he reached out to me again. I was over the moon. The more he shared his life
with me the more I realised how wonderful he was. He was kind, generous, ambitious, funny and he
loved the Universe like I did. His name was Bobby. He was a business man doing extremely well in
his field. He had toured in a band for many years previously and he still liked to play guitar and sing
now and then when he had the time. He had written many beautiful songs and sang many to me. His
voice was unique and totally perfect and I could barely listen to a song without feeling a rush of
emotions.

“When he asked me what was going on in my life I told him I was traveling to New York City
for a month. He was so excited about the idea and keen to hear about my adventures. Within a
couple of days he had asked me if he could fly over from where he was in San Diego and take me
out because he thought it would be a shame if we never got to have lunch together. I was thrilled.
We made immediate plans and within two days he had his flight and hotel booked and time off from
his hectic job.

“A week later there I was in an apartment on the Upper West Side, which was perfect and
everything I had visualised. Three days after I landed he knocked on my door. I ran down to let him
in and finally got to see those blue eyes in front of me. His trembling lips kissed me and it has been
magic ever since. He spent five days with me before he flew back home and I was grateful for every
minute. We explored the entire city on foot. We shared tasty food over storytelling and the driest
wines we could find. One of my more memorable evenings was sitting at a beautiful restaurant
enjoying Italian food and wine. After the meal was over he leaned in and asked if I wanted to walk
with him to Central Park for a dance. I was beaming from ear to ear as we walked up one block to
where the park was located. Here, we shared our first dance and as we did, it began to rain. There I
was, dancing in the rain in Central Park just as I had visualised. It only rained for about three
minutes. To me, it felt like the heavens had opened to allow me the moment I had once visualised
where he and I were dancing in the rain under a tree in Central Park. I thank God for that moment
still.

“The very next day we were walking alongside the park again and he turned to me and asked if
I liked the idea of getting married in Central Park. I was lost for words. This was something I had
always wanted but never expressed to him. It was like a moment of perfect fate had brought us
together, like he could read my thoughts, like I was stepping into my own self created future. Later
that day he walked me to a spot in the park that he said would be great for a wedding. It was a busy
area but we managed to find a spot to stand and enjoy the view. As we did this I heard some music
playing in the background but not just any music. It was a piece of classical music that I used to
play and visualise walking down the aisle to many years prior. Where was it coming from? I looked
around to see a man playing the cello and playing this exact piece of music perfectly. All I can say
is that I was absolutely stunned. Not only that, after pointing out how beautiful this music was to
Bobby he then turned to me and said, ‘I have always wanted this song played at my wedding. It
would be perfect for you to walk down the aisle to.’

“To this day he still asks for his cup of tea from a real English lady and I always say yes.
Everything about him is what I visualised and nothing has been left out. This for me was my biggest
moment of realisation that we can create exactly what we want and as long as we always go with
thoughts of love we will always receive.

“I believe that if I had not followed my instincts to leave my job and get on that plane then we
may not have met. Our instincts are our inner being guiding us and our inner being never gets it
wrong. One thing I have learned these last few years is to only make decisions out of love. Do not
make haste. Do not make decisions out of fear or revenge or anger because sadly, they will not end
well. Living in alignment will always bring you what you want.”

GUEST POST LAURA EMILY

To understand ones self, one must understand the infinite power that surrounds our mind, body and spirit.
There are many universal laws that surround us, the Law of Attraction being one of them. It is the most
powerful law within our Universe and it tells us that like energy attracts like energy. Our Universe shall
always match the frequency in which our energy is vibrating. When we know this we notice it. When we
look around, we see it. Those who are speaking of their lack are always losing out. Those who are speaking
of their prosperity are always receiving.

We may all look like unique beings on the outside, but we are all the same within. We are all souls, here
to create in this physical realm, but that soul, our inner being, is still with us. It is always with us, it just gets
ignored sometimes.

We may look like we group together in friendship circles based on our similar interests and hobbies, but
we do not. We are grouped together because our energy matches those around us. We may see a group of
people sat around a table, laughing and giggling, and we may even notice that they all enjoy similar material
things like clothes, jewellery and make-up, but actually underneath all that they are vibrating at the same
frequency, which therefore draws them together. This is what is happening everywhere. It happens on a
small and large scale.

The power that we have as a human race is phenomenal. We create everything as an individual and as a
whole. We create the good and the not-so-good. We create the welcoming manifestations and the detrimental
ones. We create the physical wealth and the physical disease. We create the emotional abundance and the
emotional turmoil. We create the sunshine and we create the hurricanes.

We are always being guided. When we walk into a situation where the energy does not feel good we
naturally walk away. This is not because it does not match ours, because it does; it is because we have
experienced a sense of our own negative energy and left it behind. It is like walking into a physical
manifestation of your own negativity and you did not like it. If we did not like it when we walked into the
room then why would we hold it in our hearts? We feel it in different ways, through different urges and
cravings, we walk this way, go that way, talk to this person, avoid that person. It all seems like every day
life, but what is truly happening is that you are a magnet. My soulful friend Stephen Conner, author of ‘The
Divine Spirit’ and who also appears in this book, calls it your ‘inner magnet’, which is extremely accurate.
That magnet attracts only to its counterpart and so we are naturally weaving in and out of different energies
and frequencies depending on what frequency we are on. Therefore, happiness attracts happiness and
sadness attracts sadness without fail. Our energy is always changing too. We tend to bob up and down on this
universal current. Sometimes we stay aligned to it for a while, whilst other times we seem to dip in and out
of it. This is why some days can feel like we are neither here nor there.

We also see this in the people we run into. We run into friends who make us laugh, we cross paths with
those who are helpful, we float by the ones who are smiling. This is when we know we are vibrating at a
high frequency. It is when we run into people that displease us, we cross paths with those who are impatient,
we float by the ones who are frowning: that is when we know that we need to check back in with ourselves
and connect with our inner being once again. The Universe is always right. The sooner we know this the
sooner we can use it to our benefit and create abundantly, for we are abundant beings. We can use what is
around us to see where we are at and fine tune our vibration to our benefit, or we can ignore it and act like it
is wrong and believe that we cannot possibly be feeling that way and continue to struggle through everyday
life as we always have. The choice is absolutely ours, but it is important to remind ourselves that the
Universe is our friend and it is not showing us things to upset us, offend us, or create something purposely
unpleasant. It is only ever matching us up to where we are at that moment in time. There is good in
everything; if we know how to look for it. The Universe is never wrong. It never sends people to you to test
you, only to teach you. If you are facing someone who is upsetting you then this is your indicator to pick
yourself up.

The Universe is always guiding us to the best thought. It is always wanting us to be as aligned with it
whenever possible. Every single moment in our lives we are learning something. Even if it is small, or seems
small, there is something. We are constantly growing and expanding; there is evidence of it everywhere we
look: if we look for it. The more we connect to our inner being the more we see things as the Universe does
and so the more we see our power, our worth and our growth.

The Law of Attraction is always at play and we can never shut it down, it will never stop. Whether we
can understand it or not; it will continue to be and so I ask you to ponder over its power and use it for its
purpose. It is there for us to create a delicious experience.

Check Out New Release of Book 3 – RECON – in The Amazon Bestselling Series: Red Ops by David McCaleb!! Giveaway Details Inside!!

Posted: August 30, 2018 in Blog Tour Hosting, rafflecopter, Recommended Reading
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0
Recon
Red Ops #3
by David McCaleb
Genre: Thriller
Pub Date: 8/28/18
The assault on America begins with an attack on Red Harmon’s family . . .
Trained to endure extreme danger and survive impossible odds, elite military
operator Red Harmon has battled our nation’s enemies for years.
While in the Rocky Mountains for R&R, his family is violently
attacked by an international squad of assassins. No ordinary
wet-team, this group is only the vanguard of a power play threatening
national security.
Danger is everywhere . . .
Red and his young daughter escape a brutal firefight, but are separated
from his wife. Evading though the woodlands, stripped of his unit’s
support, Red puts his survival skills to the test all the way from
Pikes Peak National Forest to Israel’s West Bank. He must defend
his country, protect his family, and identify the unthinkable forces
that are willing to slaughter anyone in their path.

 

Reload
Red Ops #2
“David McCaleb has a real winner here. Red Harmon is a guy I’d want on my
side.” —Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of Brute Force
To save his family—and the free world—
Red Harmon is back in the line of fire . . .
A sinister enemy is stalking elite military operator Red Harmon and his
loved ones. Turning the hunter into his prey, Red uncovers a plot
that spans nations and draws him into the remote snow-covered ravines
of North Korea. His objective: penetrate the darkest prisons of
this mysterious nation to restore national security—and save all he
holds dear.
Caught in the danger . . .
Red’s not the only one who’s been living with secrets. His wife Lori is a
lot more than the typical suburban soccer mom she appears to be, and
she’s stumbled onto something massive. The future of world peace
depends on them—and on an enemy soldier with a powerful personal
agenda. If Red’s mission fails, the balance of superpowers may
never recover . . .
“With effusive writing and strong characters, McCaleb delivers a
decades-spanning tale brimming with excitement,
intrigue, and deception. Red Harmon is a keeper!”
—Alan Jacobson, USA Today bestselling author of The Lost Codex
Recall
Red Ops #1
Amazon Bestseller!
Meet Red Harmon, a special ops veteran who learns he never left the call
of duty . . .
To a trio of muggers, Red looks like just another suburban dad. But when
they demand his wallet at knifepoint, something snaps. In the blink
of an eye, two muggers are dead, the third severely injured, and Red
doesn’t remember a thing. Once an elite member of the Det, a secret
forces outfit whose existence is beyond classified, Red thought his
active service was over.
But his memory is coming back–and a lethal killing machine
is returning to duty . . .
Facing an unthinkable nuclear threat, a volatile international power play,
and a personal attack against his family, Red has no choice. He must
rejoin his old team, infiltrate the enemy camp, and complete the
biggest mission of his life . . .
“David McCaleb has a real winner here. Recall is a smart and well-plotted
thriller, a fantastic read that I could not put down. Red Harmon is a
guy I’d want on my side.”
– Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of BRUTE FORCE
“If you’re looking for suspense, nonstop action, and a hero you can root
for, The Red Ops series will clean your X ring.”
– David Poyer, USA Today bestselling author of TIPPING POINT and
ONSLAUGHT
“Strap in tight and leave your disbelief behind. Just my type of
action thriller. I read it in a blur.”
– George Easter, Editor of Deadly Pleasures magazine.
David McCaleb was raised on a farm on the rural Eastern Shore of
Virginia. He attended Valley Forge Military College, graduated from
the United States Air Force Academy, and served his country as a
finance officer. He also founded a bullet manufacturing operation,
patented his own invention, and established several businesses. He
returned to the Eastern Shore, where he resides with his wife and two
children. Though he enjoys drawing, painting, and any project
involving the work of hands, his chosen tool is the pen.
Recon is the third novel in the Red Ops series that began with the
acclaimed thriller Recall, which was nominated for the International Thriller Writers
Best First Novel Award, and continued in Reload.
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

Check Out: The Super Ladies by Susan Petrone!! Newly Released – Excerpt and Giveaway Inside!!

Posted: August 28, 2018 in Blog Tour Hosting, excerpt, rafflecopter, Recommended Reading
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
4

The Super Ladies

by Susan Petrone

August 13 – October 13, 2018 Tour

 

The Super Ladies by Susan Petrone

Synopsis:

For three middle-aged women in the suburbs of Cleveland, the issues seemed compelling but relatively conventional: sending a child off to college, dealing with a marriage gone stale, feeling “invisible.” But changes were coming . . . and not the predictable ones. Because Margie, Katherine, and Abra are feeling a new kind of power inside of them – literally. Of all the things they thought they might have to contend with as they got older, not one of them considered they’d be exploding a few gender roles by becoming superheroes.

At once a delightful and surprising adventure and a thoughtful examination of a woman’s changing role through life’s passages, THE SUPER LADIES is larger-than-life fiction at its very best.

PRAISE FOR SUSAN PETRONE’S THROW LIKE A WOMAN:

“While, on the surface, this is a novel about a woman battling to make her way in the man’s world of professional baseball, debut author Petrone presents a stirring and humorous story of a woman doing considerably more than that–trying to rediscover herself, provide for her family, and perhaps find a little love along the way.” – Booklist

“Throw Like a Woman is that rare baseball novel, both a paean to the game and a deeper exploration of character. Susan Petrone has a fan’s heart and a scout’s eye. Read it now. Don’t wait for the movie.” – Stewart O’Nan, co-author of Faithful and A Face in the Crowd

“For baseball fans who yearn for a female Jackie Robinson, reading Susan Petrone’s fun and absorbing novel Throw Like a Woman becomes a kind of prayer. ‘Please, Lord! Give talent a chance. Let this dream come true!'” – Mary Doria Russell, author of The Sparrow

“Someday there will be a woman who plays Major League Baseball. And when it happens, I suspect it will be an awful lot like Susan Petrone’s fun Throw Like a Woman. Susan knows baseball and so the novel – and her hero Brenda Haversham – crackles with authenticity. You can hear the pop of the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt.” – Joe Posnanski, author of The Soul of Baseball, NBC Sports National Columnist

“Petrone’s storytelling is first-rate, and she weaves a credible baseball tale with well-defined characters throughout.” – The Wave

 

Book Details

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Published by: The Story Plant

Publication Date: August 14th 2018 by Story Plant

Number of Pages: 320

ISBN: 1611882583 (ISBN13: 9781611882582)

Purchase Links: The Super Ladies on Amazon The Super Ladies on Barnes & Noble The Super Ladies on Goodreads

 

Read an excerpt:

On the way home, Katherine called shotgun, so Abra had to sit in the back of Margie’s minivan amid soccer shin guards, baseballs, stray sneakers, swim goggles, granola bar wrappers, a rubber-banded stack of Pokemon cards, and a book on playing Minecraft. “How was this shoe not on the seat when we left?” Abra asked.

“I really couldn’t tell you,” Margie replied over her shoulder. “Things back there just seem to migrate around on their own. Hold it up.” Abra did so, and Margie took a quick look at it in the rearview mirror as they pulled out of the parking lot and onto Superior Avenue. “I don’t even think that belongs to one of mine.”

“Now you know why I called shotgun. The backseat scares me,” Katherine said. “I sometimes get overwhelmed with one kid. How do you manage three?”

“I have no life. Duh,” Margie replied.

Margie cut south onto East 12th Street and then turned east onto Chester Avenue, which would take them through Midtown, up Cedar Hill, and back home. As they drove by Cleveland State University, she asked Katherine, “Do we still have to flip the bird to CSU for denying Hal tenure?”

“Nah, the statute of limitations has expired on that one, I think.”

“I like the new housing they’re building down here,” Abra said. “If I ever move downtown, would you two come and visit me?”

“Hell yes,” said Katherine.

“Sure,” Margie added. “Are you seriously thinking of moving or just toying with it?”

“Toying. If I can unload the house to the bank, I’ll have to rent somewhere. And I’d be closer to work.”

“If you move, who will I run with every morning?” “I don’t know. Get another dog?”

Chester was a wide, three-lanes-in-each-direction boulevard that took them past the university neighborhood and through the dead zone in between downtown, where most of the office buildings and entertainment areas were, and University Circle, where most of the city’s museums and cultural gems were ensconced. Economic development hadn’t hit this middle area, and much of it was taken up by vacant buildings, empty lots, and boarded-up houses.

Nine fifteen on a Thursday night in mid-May isn’t late and isn’t scary. Still, Margie got a bad feeling when she saw a young woman on the sidewalk walking fast, hands folded across her chest, not looking at the man who walked next to her. The girl was a stranger—not her age, not her race, not her neighborhood, but still, the girl was someone, some mother’s daughter.

Margie pulled over to the curb, leaving the engine running.

“Why are you stopping?” Katherine asked.

The few other cars on the wide road passed by without slowing. No cars were parked on the street; Margie’s van was the only stopped vehicle for blocks. Katherine and Abra followed Margie’s gaze to the scene unfolding on the sidewalk. The man was yelling at the woman now. They couldn’t make out exactly what he was yelling but heard the words “bitch” and “money” a few times. And they could see his flailing arms, his face leering up against hers. She stopped walking and said something to him, and he hit her. She lost her balance and fell against the chain-link fence that ran along the sidewalk. They were in front of an empty lot, where once there might have been a house but now was only a square of crabgrass and crumbling concrete and stray garbage. For a moment, there were no other cars on the road. There was no one else on the street, no inhabited buildings for a couple blocks either way. If not for them, the woman was on her own.

“Call nine-one-one,” Abra said as the man hit the woman again. The woman tried to get away, but he grabbed her shoulders and shoved her hard against the fence.

“There’s no time,” Katherine said. In a heartbeat, she was out of the car.

“Darn it, come on…” Abra muttered as she fumbled with the sliding side door and jumped out. “Keep the engine running,” she said as she followed Katherine.

“I’ll go with you…” Margie started to say. No, Abra was right. Someone had to stay with the van, keep the engine running, stay behind the wheel in case they needed to make a quick getaway. Glancing behind her, she backed up alongside the people on the sidewalk. It felt proactive. She could hear Katherine’s strong teacher voice saying loudly but calmly, “Leave her alone” and the woman yelling, “Call the police!” It suddenly occurred to Margie that she had a phone. She could call the police. Hands trembling and heart racing, Margie frantically fumbled through her bag for her phone.

She told the 911 dispatcher where she was and what was happening, the whole time watching Katherine and Abra and the couple on the sidewalk. Suddenly, there was a glint of something shiny in the streetlight as the man rushed toward Katherine. She heard a scream, and then she couldn’t see Abra anymore.

•

Katherine got out of the car purely through instinct. There was someone in trouble—helping is what you were supposed to do, right? It wasn’t until she was on the sidewalk, walking toward the man and woman, saying loudly, “Leave her alone” and watching the man turn to face her that she realized she had absolutely no idea what to do next. None. It was then that her heart started pounding and a hot wave of fear tingled through her arms and legs.

Up close, she could see the guy was taller and more muscular than he appeared from the safety of the van. He was maybe white, maybe light-skinned African American with a shaved head. An indecipherable neck tattoo peeked out from under his close-fitting, long-sleeved black T-shirt. She tried to burn a police description into her brain. The woman yelled, “Call the police!” at the same time the guy said, “This is none of your damn business, lady” to Katherine. The utter disdain in his voice cleared everything out of her brain except one thought: This was such a mistake. This was such a stupid mistake. There was no way this could end well. For a split second, she imagined Hal and Anna without her, wondered if they would think her foolish for getting herself killed in this way. She heard Abra say softly, “Just let her go, man.”

Katherine could just see Abra off to her right. Margie had backed up, and the open doors of the van were only a few yards away. She could faintly hear Margie’s voice, talking to 911 maybe? Knowing they were both nearby gave her a tiny bit more courage. Katherine took a tentative step toward the woman, who was kneeling by the fence. Her face was bloodied, the sleeve of her shirt ripped. “Miss?” she asked. She looked about nineteen or twenty. Not a woman. A girl. “Why don’t you come with us? We’ll give you a ride.”

“She don’t need a ride,” the man said.

The rest of the street seemed eerily quiet. Couldn’t someone else stop and help? Someone big? Someone male maybe? Katherine wasn’t that big, but she was big enough, strong enough. She could help. Slowly she extended her left arm. If the woman wanted to take her hand, she could. Katherine held the woman’s gaze, hoping she could silently convince her that leaving with some strangers was preferable to getting beaten up by her boyfriend. Katherine was so focused that she didn’t see the knife until it was against her arm, in her arm. The man cut so fast that she hardly saw the blade, only the flash of metal against her pale white skin. It occurred to her that she needed to get out in the sun. Why am I worried about how pale I am? I just got cut. She felt the sensation of the blade slicing through flesh, felt a momentary spark of pain, and then the pain was gone. It happened faster than a flu shot—a quick prick, then nothing.

The man only made one swipe, then stopped, triumphant, staring at her arm, expecting blood, expecting her to scream, to fall. There wasn’t any blood on her arm or the knife. No blood, just Katherine staring at him wide-eyed and unharmed.

Then the man was on the ground, hit from the side by…something, something Katherine couldn’t see. The knife dropped from his hands and landed near her foot. She kicked it away at the same time she heard Abra’s voice yell, “Run!” But where the hell was Abra? She must be in the van. Katherine couldn’t see her.

Katherine said, “Come on” to the woman, who was now up and moving toward her. The woman needed no more convincing and was in the car before Katherine, even before Abra. Where had Abra been? How could she be the last one to pile into the minivan, yelling, “Go! Go!” to Margie, who was slamming on the gas before the door was even closed.

Nobody said anything for a moment. The only sound in the car was that of four women catching their breath, being glad they had breath left in their bodies. Then all of them simultaneously erupted into words of relief and fear, asking each other “Are you all right? Are you all right?”

“Oh sweet mother, I can’t believe you all just did that,” Margie said. “I thought—Katherine, I honestly thought he was going to kill you.”

“So did I,” Abra said. “How the hell did he not cut you? How did he miss you?”

“He didn’t miss me,” Katherine replied quietly. Feeling fine seemed intrinsically wrong, but there it was. Unreal sense of calm? Yes. Pain and blood? No.

Before Margie or Abra could respond, the woman exclaimed, “Oh my God, thank you! Sean would’ve done me in this time, I know it. Y’all were like superheroes or something. You saved my life.”

The three women were quiet for a heartbeat. For the moment, the hyperbole of the phrase “You saved my life” was gone. It was arguably true. This was a new sensation. Frightening and humbling. Then Margie said, “Shoot, I dropped the phone.” With one hand on the wheel, she felt around in the great vortex of tissues, empty cups, and scraps of paper in the molded plastic section in between the two front seats.

“I got it,” Katherine said, coming up with the phone. The 911 dispatcher was still on the line, wondering what was going on. “Hello?” Katherine said. “We’re okay. We got away, the woman is safe. We’re going—where are we going?”

“Anywhere away from Sean,” the woman in the back said.

“There’s a police station right down the street at one hundred and fifth,” Abra said.

“Right, I know where that is,” Margie said.

A police car with the siren off but lights flashing came roaring down Chester Avenue in the opposite direction.

“Was that for us?” Margie asked.

“I think so,” Abra said.

Katherine hardly had time to explain what had happened to the dispatcher before they were at the station. There was a long hour-plus of giving witness statements to a jaded-looking police officer who told them several times how lucky they were to have gotten out of the situation with no harm done. “What you three ladies did was very brave and very stupid,” he said in closing.

“We know,” Abra replied.

They were told they might be called as witnesses if the woman, Janelle, decided to press charges against her boyfriend. Then they were free to go. The three of them walked out of the police station and to the waiting minivan. It was nearing midnight, and the spring evening had moved from cool to downright chilly. Even so, none of them moved to get into the van. Margie unlocked it and opened the driver’s door, then just stood looking at the ground, one hand on the door, the other on the side of the van, breathing slowly. Abra paced in a slow oval near the back of the van, while Katherine leaned against it and gazed up at the few faint stars that could be seen against the city lights. She suddenly wanted to be somewhere quiet, away from the city, away from people. Margie’s voice brought her back: “I’m sorry I didn’t do anything to help.”

What are you talking about?” Katherine said. “If it weren’t for you, we never would have gotten out of there.”

Abra walked around the van to Margie. “You were the only smart one. I’m sorry I got out of the car. That was stupid.” As Abra said this, she shivered, her lips trembled, and she started to shake. “That was so stupid.” “I got out first,” Katherine said. “I’m the stupid one.” Katherine almost never saw Margie cry. Even when her eldest child was going through hell, Katherine had been amazed and admiring of her friend’s resilience. But now Margie seemed overwhelmed by heaving sobs. “I’m just so glad the two of you are okay,” Margie stammered. Crying people generally made her nervous, but Katherine joined Margie and Abra on the other side of the van.

When your friends need you, they need you.

***

Excerpt from The Super Ladies by Susan Petrone. Copyright © 2017 by Susan Petrone. Reproduced with permission from Susan Petrone. All rights reserved.

 

Author Bio:

Susan Petrone

Susan Petrone lives with one husband, one child, and two dogs in Cleveland, Ohio. Her superpower has yet to be uncovered.

Catch Up with Susan Petrone Online:

 

Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Providence Book Promotions for The Story Plant. There will be 5 winners of one (1) PB copy of THROW LIKE A WOMAN by Susan Petrone. The giveaway begins on August 13, 2018 and runs through October 13, 2018. Open to U.S. addresses only. Void where prohibited.

CLICK HERE for the Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Find Your Next Great Read at Providence Book Promotions!

Older Entries
Newer Entries